Young Justice: Metagene
by The Green Light Wolf
Summary: Its 2017. A new generation of Meta-Humans have become a prominent part of daily life in the wake of the failed Reach invasion. Vandal Savage and Klarion the Witch Boy have not been seen in six months. Bialya has suddenly ceased hostilities with Quarac. And Lex Luthor is rumored to announce his candidacy for the US presidency. Things are about to get interesting.
1. New Year, New Squad

**Authors Note**

So here's the first chapter to my Alt Universe version of the third season of Young Justice. I'm LOVING what they are doing with Outsiders for the most part, but I've been meaning to get my own version out there since 2013 and... better late than never, right?

* * *

**Young Justice Metagene**

**3X1**

**New Year, New Squad**

* * *

**The Watchtower**

**January 6th 2017, 11:11 UTC**

B-07: Tigress.

B-18: Lagoon Boy.

B-27: Bunker.

B-29: Bombshell.

As their names were listed off by the computerized voice, each member of the Team stepped through the Zeta Beams and into the war room of the Watchtower. Tigress was at the head of the pack, striding confidently towards the briefing area where Aqualad and Batgirl were waiting for them, with Lagoon Boy only a step behind her. The Atlantean Boy's expression was solemn, unlike Bunkers, who had a large, excited smile on the visible lower half of his face. Dressed in various shades of purple, Bunker had an energetic pep in his step, just happy to be there. The final member of the squad, the silver skinned tank named Bombshell, had a calm air about her and kept her eyes forward as they approached the two leaders of the Team.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Aqualad greeted the squad, giving them each a nod in turn. "I understand how frustrating it can be to be called in to carry out a mission on your day off."

"Its fine _mi amigo._" Bunker was the first to reply, waving his gloved hand dismissively. "I've been itching for some action all week."

"It's not like I've got anything better to do." Bombshell shrugged, folding her arms across her chest as she spoke.

Tigress and Lagoon Boy remained silent, the vigilante standing patiently in silence while the Atlantean just stared at in his predecessors direction, his large red eyes appearing to look straight through the leaders of the Team. Batgirl seemed to noticed this immediately, sharing a look with Aqualad but neither of them said anything on the issue. That was a conversation for later, out of the earshot of the others.

"As you're all aware, Lex Luthor will be holding a press conference in two hours in Metropolis. It has been rumored for several weeks that this conference is to throw his hat into the ring for the presidency and he announced this morning via social media that the conference will be open to the public." Aqualad began, activating several holographic screens behind him that displayed pictures of Lex Luthor, Mercy Graves and the current President.

"Usually, somebody would have already been elected to take over from President Ross last November, but due to the failed Reach invasion and its fallout, it was decided that the elections would take place this November instead." Batgirl continued, displaying two more pictures behind her. "Olivia Marsdin is the Democratic candidate and Senator Dale is who the Republicans have put forward. According to the rumors, Luthor plans to run on an independent platform."

"Why would Luthor do that? Independents rarely win." Tigress questioned with a frown.

"We're not sure yet, but we should have a better idea tonight." Another screen appeared as Aqualad spoke, this one displaying the faces of Robin, Kid Flash, Blue Beetle and Wondergirl. "During Luthors press conference, Gamma will infiltrate LexCorp and hack into Luthors system. At the very least, we should gain some understanding towards his motivations, perhaps even a look into what the Lights next move is."

"Thats all well and good, but what do you need us for, Kaldur?" Everybody looked at Lagoon Boy as he spoke, his tone displaying an edge of irritation.

"The four of you will be attending Luthors conference. Despite the fact that we know of Luthors involvement with the Light, we cannot simply leave the Secretary-General of the United Nations unprotected, considering the amount of enemies he has accrued over the years." Aqualad let out a soft sigh before continuing. "Your task will be to ensure that no harm comes to him, and to also contact Gamma when Luthor leaves the conference."

"How exactly am I supposed to just walk into a gathering of Humans? And what about Amy?" Lagoon Boy's attitude was clearly starting to grate on everybody, Tigress particularly, with the blonde biting her lip to hold back a remark.

"Zatanna has prepared a charm that will disguise your true appearance to everybody, including those who are aware that it's you." Batgirl cut in, stepping forward and offering a small, silver bracelet chain to the Atlantean. "It will activate as soon as you put it on, and deactivate when you take it off."

"Right." Lagoon Boy said, stuffing the chain into the pocket of his shorts as Batgirl stepped over to hand Bombshell a similar chain.

"Remember, only reveal yourselves if things go downhill. Luthor has been looking for any excuse to restrict our activity recently, with the rise in Meta-Human related crimes." Aqualad looked around at everybody before speaking once more. "I'll let you all go to prepare yourselves for the conference. La'gann, could you stay behind please?"

Silence immediately fell over the room, Lagoon Boy's shoulders tensing as Artemis and Bombshell immediately headed for the Zeta Tubes. Bunker paused, eyeing his friend in concern but soon followed after the female members of his squad upon catching Aqualads disproving gaze pointed towards him.

B-07. Tigress.

B-29. Bombshell.

B-27. Bunker.

The war room remained silent for several moments, the tension thickening with every second that passed. Aqualad and Batgirl exchanged a long look before the leader of the Team cleared his throat.

"Is everything alright La'gann?" The question was spoken with genuine concern, Aqualads eyes wide and responsive, looking for any change in the males demeanor.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Lagoon Boy countered, his shoulders still tensed and his eyes narrowed. lips curled downwards in a scowl.

"You know we're here to help, right?" Batgirl tried, stepping forward to place a hand on Lagoon Boy's shoulder. "If somethings happened, you can tell us. But if you don't feel comfortable doing that, I'm sure Dinah would be happy to make room in her schedule to have a chat."

"It's nothing." Was Lagoon boys only response, raising a hand to brush Batgirls from his shoulder.

"Queen Mera said you haven't been attending lessons with her for the last few weeks." Aqualad pressed, a contemplative frown crossing his handsome features. "And Garth informed me that you haven't joined him for patrol for over a month. Though, this is the first time I've witnessed a profound change in your temperament."

"I said it's nothing!" La'gann exclaimed, taking several steps backwards, hands clenched into fists. "Neptunes Beard!"

"La'gann, we're only-" Batgirl began, but was cut off as the Atlantean male interrupted her.

"I don't care! When I want to be cross examined, I'll come see you." Turning on his heel, Lagoon Boy stormed towards the Zeta Tubes. "Enough of this. I've got a mission."

B-18. Lagoon Boy.

Aqualad and Batgirl stared at the beams as Lagoon boy disappeared into them, the two Heroes both appearing to be confused, as well as concerned. There was silence while the two digested what had just occurred, before Aqualad turned to the screens and keyed in a specific frequency. After a short wait, the face of Wonder Woman appeared on the screen.

"Watchtower, this is Wonder Woman." She greeted, suddenly jumping backwards and offering a roundhouse kick to the face of a masked thug.

"This is Aqualad." The Atlantean raised an eyebrow as Wonder Woman executed a perfect backflip while dropping her communicator, landing lightly and raising her free arm to deflect a rain of bullets with her gauntlet. Moments later, she picked up the communicator back up, backhanding a thug attempting to blitz her. "I do not wish to disturb you."

"I'm almost finished here." Wonder Woman replied, kicking a sizable piece of rubble in the direction of several more thugs as she drew her sword with her free hand. "Do you need me to come to the Tower?"

"Please." Aqualad nodded as Wonder Woman dispatched a thug with a swing of her blade. "There is a situation with one of the members of the Team that I believe you are best suited to handle."

* * *

**The Daily Planet**

**January 6th, 2017. 1250 UTC.**

The street before the entrance to the Daily Planet had been converted into a makeshift assembly point, with a stage set up at the bottom of the steps complete with a podium featuring the LexCorp insignia. Much of the surrounding two blocks had been cordoned off and the area was booming with people of all ages, some of them reporters, others rampant Luthor supporters and even the occasional person who just wanted to be involved with what was going on. Well dressed security guards surrounded the perimeter, with Mercy Graves likely somewhere among the crowd. Cameras were set up to cover every angle of the stage.

La'gann waited in line to get through to the conference area, catching a glimpse of his Human form in a nearby window. His skin appeared to be fair, his eyes now the shape of a Humans with light grey irises and he even had blonde hair that was stylized to look wild in order to cover up for the fact that his head actually had fins atop it. He'd gone to the liberty of actually testing how realistic the illusion was earlier, running his hands through the blonde locks to find that he actually felt hair. Whatever magic Zatanna had worked on the charm, it was impressive indeed.

He glanced towards a building across the street where he knew Artemis was likely set up just in case something went down. While all members of the Arrow family were skilled in close quarters combat, it was important for them to have somebody who could see the bigger picture, especially with so many civilians present. Things could go bad very quickly. Ahead of him, he could see Amy shuffling slowly forward, her silver skin replaced by a slightly darker shade than La'gann's own false human flesh. Miguel was nowhere to be seen, at least until he felt an arm drape completely across his shoulders. Letting out a mildly irritated sigh, La'gann took in his friend. As usual, the boy was wearing purple, this time in the form of a half shirt called a crop top. If Miguel were an Atlantean, there might be some advantage to having his midriff exposed while underwater, but on land, La'gann truly could not understand the tactical advantage of the garment.

"_Hola amigo_." Miguel said, casually leaning into La'gann. The Atlantean had become accustomed to his friends hands on approach to life, so just shifted slightly to brace for the extra weight of the Human. "How are you feeling?"

"Why is everyone suddenly obsessed with how I am?" La'gann grumbled, stepping forward as the line began to shift.

"Sounds like there's a reason that we should be worried." Miguel countered, causing La'gann to purse his lips and remain silent. Chuckling lightly, Miguel squeezed his friends shoulders. "I've never seen you pout before. Definitely a moment that needs to be saved."

Before La'gann could react, Miguel had taken out his phone and snapped a photo of the moment, causing Miguel to erupt into a short fit of excited laughter as he looked at the picture. Out of curiosity, La'gann looked at the photo, a small smile tugging at his lips as he examined his expression in the picture. Even he had to admit it was a humorous moment. The two of them exchanged in small talk as they moved towards the front of the line, eventually being let into the conference area. Within minutes, they found Amy and the three of them decided to move towards the front of the crowd so that they were as close as possible to the person they were supposed to protect. As they reached the area of the crowd they wanted to be in, all three members of the Team glanced to the left as the crowd suddenly parted and a series of security guards stepped towards them. Out of the midst of the guards, Lex Luthor stepped out, a look of amusement on his face.

"Hello there." Luthor greeted them, eyes darting between their faces before settling on La'ganns, leaning forward to speak in his ear. "Using sorcery to disguise yourselves is a sound play my young friend, however I have developed countermeasures towards those wishing to use the old magicks against me, though I cannot say for certain which members of the Leagues little covert ops team that you are." Luthor paused, placing a hand on La'ganns shoulder. "Why are you here?"

"Your protection, believe it or not." La'gann growled, refraining from tearing Luthors offending hand off.

"It's adorable that you believe that the three of are capable of protecting me better than Mercy can. But I won't look this gift horse in the mouth" Luthor dropped his hand from La'ganns shoulder, rising back to his full height. "I hope you enjoy the conference."

With that Luthor turned around and headed back behind the stage where Mercy awaited him, alongside several other people that La'gann couldn't place. As he watched the billionaire retreat, Miguel shook his head, glaring in the bald mans direction.

"_Cabron_."

* * *

**Security Office, LexCorp.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1312 UTC.**

"... All I'm saying is, I don't think the Justice League is that bad."

A debate was going on between three members of the Lexcorp security team, a way for them to distract from the fact that they were stuck on camera duty in one of the most secure buildings on the planet, on a Friday no less. Two of them were seated at a lengthy desk before a series of screens that covered the entire wall, showing each and every room on the upper floors of the tower. As usual, nothing out of the ordinary was happening, so the guards were slacking off a little.

"You can't be serious." One of the guards stated with a scowl, the only one of the three guards to not be seated at the desk. Instead he was leaning against the opposing wall near the only door that allowed for the entrance or exit of the space. "Half of the League are freaking aliens, and the rest of them are Meta-Humans that were created by them!"

"Aquaman and Wonder Woman definitely aren't aliens, and they were around long before the Reach showed up." A second guard countered, shaking his head. "Besides, Meta-Humans are still technically Human."

"And everybody knows Batman and Green Arrow are just normal people." The third guard finished, stifling a yawn. "Do we really have to argue about the League again? Look at all the good they do Andrew."

"Tell that to the people they've left with mountains of property damage, or with enormous medical bills to foot just because some reckless 'hero' didn't look before punching a criminal through a wall." Andrew, the standing guard, snapped back. "The League needs to be kept under the jurisdiction of the U.N so that their threat level can be properly evaluated and dealt with accordingly."

"Do you really think the U.N can 'deal with' somebody like Superman? How about Martian Manhunter? Those hawk people?" The second guard rolled his eyes, briefly checking over the cameras. "We shouldn't be looking to start something with people that could level countries if they wanted to and just be happy they are dedicated to protecting us. You're way too paranoid about this."

As soon as those words left the guards mouth, a vent in the ceiling flew open and several small pellets fell from it. As soon as they hit the ground, the pellets produced enough smoke to instantly blanket the room. The two guards at the desk stood, fumbling for their weapons while Andrew did the same across the room. Something else dropped from the vent, dashing towards Andrew and dispatching him with a swift punch to the face that caused the mans head to snap backwards, hitting the wall. Within seconds, the shape was upon the other two guards, taking them out with a barrage of punches to one and a swift kick to the others temple. As the smoke began to clear, the newcomer moved to the desk, inserting a USB into the system that would force the footage into a loop.

"Cameras are down." Robin said across his teams radio frequency. "We have about fifteen minutes until it becomes obvious that we've hijacked the system."

"They'll be too busy dealing with a power outage." The voice of Blue Beetle came back, followed by the sounds of a struggle. "Should be out soon."

"I'll head up to Luthors office." With the virus in the system, Robin took his USB back and headed for the door. "W.G. You in position?"

"Yup." Wonder Girl replied. "The guards are going to have to get through me before they can even attempt to get up there."

"Remember to keep yourself disguised as one of them. We can't afford to let Luthor get his hands on footage of you throwing some of his men around." Robin warned before cutting the communication and heading out into the hallway, making a beeline for the elevator."

* * *

**The Daily Planet.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1320 UTC.**

"As many of you know, I have dedicated the last six months of my life towards bringing stability to the world in the wake of the attempted global takeover initiated by the Reach." Luthor had been talking for over twenty minutes, beginning with updates of security updates for the United States, as well as his negotiation of a ceasefire between South and North Rhelasia to end the short lived civil war that had broken out three months ago. "It has been a difficult path for me but a gratifying one."

The audience had an overwhelming positive reaction to his words, bouts of applause and cheering coming from some of the people in attendance. Miguel, La'gann and Amy shared a look of disapproval, with La'gann rolling his eyes. The politics of the Surface World were so frustrating to him and he had noticed that much of their games were fought with silver tongues rather than weapons.

"I am not a humble man. I am not some modest bystander. I am a proud, hardworking citizen of the United States, much like those of you who have come out today." This remark earned louder cheers. "My time working as the Secretary-General of the United Nations has given me the chance to see things from a new perspective. We cannot afford to continue to remain in our current stalemate. The world around us continues to move onward. Visitors from outer space have visited, caused commotion and threatened our entire species. And what has President Ross done in that time?" Luthor paused for effect, giving the crowd long enough to look at one another before leaning in to hear his next words. "I'll tell you what he's done. Absolutely nothing. Where was Peter Ross when the Reach threatened to destroy our entire planet? Where has Peter Ross been while mentally unstable Meta-Humans have risen up to threaten our friends and family?"

The mood of the crowd had changed as they absorbed what Luthor said. Some people had begun to leave, obviously not agreeing with his words, but for the most part, those assembled were getting quite riled up in agreement with Luthor. They were growing progressively louder, leaving the three Team members to tense up.

"I have resigned from my position as Secretary-General." Luthor spoke up once more, earning some boo's. In response, he simply raised a single, calm hand, causing the crowd to near instantly quite down. "I have done this, because I knew that something needed to be done. Somebody had to make a stand in order to ensure the continuing security of our great nation. And that somebody is me." Behind him, several screens suddenly lit up, with a picture of the man and the words 'Vote Luthor' underneath. "Today, I am announcing that I will be running for the position of the President of the United States."

The crowd roared in excitement, a Luthor chant breaking out as the man himself merely stood there, a smirk appearing on his face. However, the smirk dropped moments later as somebody leaped high into the air above the crowd, electricity bursting at their fingertips. With a bout of laughter among the sudden cries of panic, the figure sent a wave of lightning towards Luthor. Thinking quickly, La'gann jumped into its path, activating his Atlantean runes to lessen the pain as the blast impacted against him. Knocked towards the stage, he corrected himself midair to land on his feet beside Luthor, tearing off his chain and stuffing it into his pocket, revealing his true form to everybody assembled.

"An Atlantean huh?" Livewire cackled, gathering more energy into her palms as both Miguel and Amy revealed themselves as well. "It doesn't matter how many of you there are! You won't save Luthor!"

* * *

**C.E.O Office, LexCorp.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1329 UTC.**

Robin entered Luthors office without wasting a second, dashing over to the large, mahogany desk situated in the center of the room. Slipping the USB into the hard drive, he waited as the device hacked into the system. It didn't take long and soon he was staring at Luthors desktop. Pressing a button on his gauntlet, Robin caused the drive to begin to download everything from Luthors hard drive, knowing it was best for him to look over everything from a save place later, rather than trying to pour through the documents when he was on a time limit. The power had been down for five minutes, which meant that it was only a matter of time before somebody reached the office, even with Wonder Girl distracting them.

"Robin?" Kid Flashes voice came across the comn, sounding almost breathless. Strange. "We've got a bit of a problem."

"Yea- He's behind you!" Blue Beetle chimed in.

Before Robin could respond to his Team members, the door opened and Robins blood immediately ran cold. With an extremely casual attitude, Deathstroke stepped into the office, closing the door behind him softly before turning his full attention to the young vigilante. An amused gleam shined in the assassins only eye as he studied the younger male.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Deathstroke asked sarcastically, tilting his head to the side. "You didn't actually think Luthor would just leave his office unprotected, did you kid?"

"By the looks of things, he probably could have poured a little more money into his security." Robin stated, his fear hidden behind his sass. He glanced at the computer, finding that the download was only at ten percent. He was going to have to stall Deathstroke. "I'm not alone."

"Oh, I know. My associates are dealing with your little friends." Deathstroke replied, eyeing Robin as the young man stepped out from behind the desk. "You're not actually going to try and fight me are you?"

Robin didn't reply, throwing several birdarangs at Deathstroke, who ducked to the side instantly. Dashing towards the much larger male, Robin leaped high into the air, coming down with a solid kick meant for his chest, but Deathstroke caught him. With one hand on Robins angle and the other just below his knee, Deathstroke swung the young man threw the air and tossed him towards the windows, placing himself firmly between the vigilante and Luthors desk. Robin managed to land on his feet, letting out a slightly frustrated breath.

"Using gravity to increase your striking force huh? Not a bad idea when it comes to somebody who hasn't been trained to handle it." Deathstroke cracked his knuckles before raising his hands before himself. "What else ya got?"

With narrowed eyes, Robin closed the distance once more. His first punch towards Deathstrokes chest was batted aside, with his follow up, a roundhouse kick meant for the assassins shoulder, was avoided entirely. Taking a smoke pellet, Robin threw it directly in Deathstrokes face, creating a sudden smokescreen, and threw himself forward in an attempted rising knee towards the mans chin. He found nothing however, instead feeling a hand on his shoulder that spun him to the left and threw off the young mans momentum. Deathstroke slammed his palm into Robins chest, winding the young man, following it up with a solid chop to the throat and finally a backhand to his cheek. Sent hurtling, Robin landed hard on his shoulder, but rolled back up to his feet, ignoring the burning sensations coming from his respiratory system and focusing on getting air in any way he could. His cheek was already swelling and he could taste blood in his mouth.

"Using a smokescreen against somebody trained by the League of Shadows? C'mon." Letting out a harsh chuckle as the smoke dissipated, Deathstroke shook his head. "At this point, I feel like I'm smacking a newborn puppy around and it's really not satisfying."

Scowling, Robin took a device from his belt and snapped his arm out, the device expanding into a bo staff which he spun twice before leaping forth once more. This time, he swung towards Deathstrokes shoulder, before shifting his momentum and striking out at the mans opposing knee instead, which managed to actually catch the assassin. Immediately, Robin followed up by planting the end of the staff in the floor, swinging himself upwards to catch Deathstroke in the face with a kick, before he spun rapidly and slammed the staff into the assassins own helmeted cheek, leaving a dent in the mask. Not wanting to press his luck, Robin broke off, moving backwards until he felt the desk behind him.

"There we go." Deathstroke chuckled, stretching the injured leg out and shaking his head as if to shake off the damage imparted upon his face. "If you're not strong or fast enough to overwhelm your opponent, grab something that can make up the difference."

Glancing at his gauntlet, Robin seen that the download was at forty percent now and weighed his options. He could continue to press his luck with Deathstroke, who clearly wasn't trying yet, and get more information. Or he could take what he had and escape to nurse his own injuries and fight another day. Apparently, Deathstroke didn't want to wait and drew one of his handguns, firing off several bullets which Robin managed to avoid by flipping backwards over the desk and using it for cover. Grabbing the USB as he found cover, Robin slipped it into a pouch on his belt and winced as he heard several more rounds hit the desk.

"We both know how this is going to go kid. Come out and take it with some dignity." Deathstroke taunted as a bright red light suddenly appeared in front of Robin, a young man dressed in black and a skull shaped mask stepping out.

"I'd listen to Slade if I were you." The unknown young man said, his mask disguising his voice.

Robin threw himself to the side and out of the cover of the desk as the skull tossed a shuriken at where his face had been. This gave Deathstroke opportunity, which he used to shoot Robin in the left shoulder and caused the vigilante to drop his staff as the pain tore through his new wound. Forcing himself up, Robin made a mad dash for the window, ducking out of the way of bullets as best he could, feeling one graze across his cheek. Without hesitating, Robin used his free hand to throw several small explosives at the reinforced windows, the resulting explosion shattering the glass. Robin dove through the now empty space and fell several stories as bullets sailed past him before shooting out his grappling hook and swinging through the window on an opposing building. As he smashed through the glass, the employees of the building let out exclamations, throwing themselves out of the way. Robin impacted a cubicle hard, sliding down to the floor and groaning in pain. Activating his comn, he spoke once more, wincing as pain began to overwhelm him.

"Watchtower, lock onto my location. Need an immediate extraction."

"Extraction is en route Robin. Hold on." Barbara's voice came back. There was a pause. "Are the others with you? Their trackers have gone dark."

"No." Robin gritted his teeth, turning his head to look over at LexCorp. "The mission is a failure."

* * *

**The Daily Planet.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1342 UTC.**

Lagoon Boy let out a cry of pain as yet another stream of electricity slammed into him, his resistance nearly completely torn apart at this point. The fight had drawn on for far longer than it should have, with Tigress joining them pretty quickly. Unfortunately, Livewire was a Superman level threat, with abilities that were suited to going toe to toe with the Man of Steel himself. She was more than capable of comfortably taking them on. Bombshell flew into the air, unleashing a barrage of plasma blasts at Livewire, who simply phased through them by transforming into pure electricity before sending Bombshell to the ground with a barrage of her own. The crowd had been evacuated, with Bunker using his light constructs to defend civilians from the fallout.

"My, you're not doing very well, are you?" Luthor appeared at Lagoon Boys side, helping the Atlantean to his feet.

"What in Neptunes name are you doing!?" Lagoon boy demanded, stepping in front of Luthor protectively. "Get out of here!"

"I think I'll stay." Luthor replied non-nonchalantly. "Mercy, get the young ladies attention."

The half android bodyguard unveiled her arm canon, firing several precise shots at Livewire, who dodged each one before tearing towards them in a rage. Taking his phone from his pocket, Luthor waited until Livewire was mere feet in front of him before pressing a button. Instantly, two small canons emerged from the ground and fired powerful streams of water at Livewire, catching her off guard. The villain screamed out in pain as she began to short circuit, before falling to the ground defeated as the water ceased its streams. Drawing an inhibator collar from his jacket, Luthor offered it to Lagoon Boy who simply glared at him. With a shrug, Luthor carefully moved to stand over Livewire and placed the collar on her, the device activating instantly.

"The poor, deluded girl had been sending threats to my office for weeks. I cannot believe she'd actually think I'd come here unprepared." Luthor remarked, glancing at Lagoon Boy, Bombshell, Bunker and Tigress as they all grouped up nearby. "My thanks for your little show. I'm sure it will go a long way towards showing the public what a threat to their safety Meta-Humans actually are."

"They'll see us saving you." Tigress glared, only to receive a smug look from the billionaire.

"My dear, tonight news will show the Atlantean boy leaping into the air to start a fight with Livewire immediately after I announced my candidacy." Straightening his jacket, Luthor continued. "The wider public will also see me bravely evacuating civilians and putting a stop to the threat once everybody was clear. Your little team has no official connection to the League and therefore will be depicted as nothing more than undocumented Meta-Humans causing a scene." Sirens began to close in and Luthor offered them all a meaningful look. "I would suggest you all run along now. As I understand it, the respectable Metropolis Police Force will be well within their rights to detain you, should they find you here when they arrive."

* * *

**C.E.O. Office, Lexcorp.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1342 UTC.**

Deathstroke pressed a button on the underside of Luthors desk, activating shutters to fall from the ceilings to block the windows, and the recently vacated windowsill, while also causing the door to lock. Moments later, six holographic screens appeared above the desk, though only four of them were occupied. Vandal Savage and Klarion the Witch Boy were notably absent, having been so since the failed Reach Invasion of 2016. Of those, two present were founding members in Ras Al Ghul and Queen Bee, while the other two were relatively new additions to the organization.

"I take it things went well?" Ras was the first to speak.

"As well as they could have. Robin has about half of the information, but also the little gift Luthor left for him." Deathstroke replied, pulling his mask off and rubbing his cheek. "The kid is pretty good, nothing special though. He'll be on the bench for a while"

"And what of his companions?" Queen Bee said, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"Boxed up and about to be shipped off to the Smallville facility." The male with the skull mask said, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "Want me to stick around and help with the transit?"

"Your services are required elsewhere, Red X." One of the newcomers said, a male with a profoundly intense voice. "We need you to collect a pair of specimens in Markovia."

"Markovia?" Queen Bee frowned. "I could send a member of Onslaught to retrieve them."

"This operation will require a little more subtly than your brutes can offer." The male chuckled.

"I'll be off then." Red X cut in, clearly not wanting to deal with the rising tension between the two members of the Light. Without waiting for a response, he disappeared in a flash of red light.

"It's very dangerous letting him run around with that tech." Deathstroke said once the younger costumed male was gone. "He essentially has unrestricted access to any location on the planet, including the places you four call home."

"The boy has his uses, but make no mistake Wilson, he is expendable." Ras explained. "At the end of the day, he's a means to an end."

"Though at the very least, he's quite the trial run for our project." The male with the intense voice added, glancing towards the final screen where a fair skinned, handsome young man was depicted. "You're awfully quiet."

"I have nothing to add at this very moment." The young man stated blandly.

"Indeed." Queen Bee smirked, pausing for a moment before turning her full attention to Deathstroke. "We'll leave the transport of those Meta-Humans to you. The League will likely send another Team to rescue their little sidekick. The hunt should keep them sufficiently distracted while we prepare for the initiation of phase one."

"As you wish." Deathstroke nodded. "Do you want me to capture any more of them while we're playing?"

"There is no need." Ras waved his hand dismissively. "We have everything we require for now. Those so called heroes will be utterly helpless to stop what is to come."


	2. The Old Guard

**Authors Note**

So heres the second chapter! Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows that this story has already gotten. Hope everybody continues to like where I'm taking this. :)

* * *

**Young Justice Metagene**

**3X2**

**The Old ****Guard**

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1405 UTC.**

B-07. Tigress.

B-18. Lagoon Boy.

B-27. Bunker.

B-29. Bombshell.

When Lagoon Boy and his squad returned to the Watchtower, the last thing they expected was to see six of the original seven Justice League members assembled there, as well as the leaders of the Team. Aqualad and Batgirl were standing slightly off to the side of the League members, discussing something among themselves. Black Canary stood with the six League members, a grave expression on her face. Batman in particular seemed to have a cloud hanging over him and practically cooled the entire satellite down several degrees just with his presence. It was most unnerving to Bunker, who made sure to stay a step behind his squadmates in order to put as much distance between himself and the Dark Knight as possible.

"Welcome back." Aqualad said, acknowledging their existence as the squad came to stand before the who's who of Heroes. "We seen that your mission didn't go exactly to plan."

"Not really." Tigress replied, pulling off her past and shaking her hair out of its slicked back positioning. "Luthor is going to use the entire situation to further discredit Meta-Humans."

"It's interesting to me that Luthor has such a disdain for this new generation of super powered beings, when he had a hand in creating them." Aquaman moved to stand before Lagoon Boy, looking his protege over. "Are you alright? The cameras continued to broadcast throughout the fight and showed you taking quite a few blows."

"I am fine, my king." Lagoon Boy replied, his voice slightly strained. His tone was not nearly as confrontational as it had been earlier with Aqualad and Batgirl.

"And how about you Miguel?" Green Lantern appeared at Batmans side, also taking stock of his student.

"I didn't see too much action _guia_." Bunker replied, pulling off the banana that doubled as a mask for the upper half of his face. "Just worked on getting the civilians out of there."

"That's just as important as getting into the thick of it." Green Lantern responded, a proud smile on his face.

"Enough." Batman pulled every bodies attention to him, his tone as dark as his expression. "While the four of you were putting more strain on our relationship with the public, Gamma squad was being systematically broken down and abducted."

"What!?" Tigress, Lagoon Boy, Bombshell and Bunker all exclaimed in unison, surprise crossing all of their faces.

"Robin was the only one to make it out and took quite a bit of damage. He currently recovering in the med bay." Black Canary placed a hand on Batmans shoulder, the two of them sharing a brief moment before the Dark Knight looked away. As he did, Canary focused her attention on the young heroes. "He managed to download just under half of Luthors hard drive before he was brutally ambushed by Deathstroke and an unknown player in a skull mask."

"And the others were abducted?" Artemis asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Where are they?"

"I hacked into Luthors database, and two trucks were scheduled to make a delivery to one of his soft drink facilities in Smallville. They left about ten minutes ago." Batgirl informed them, shaking her head as she took note of the determined expressions that appeared on the squads faces. "It's being handled. The four of you need to be debriefed and take the rest of the day off."

"I'm not leaving Bart, Jamie and Cassie in the hands of Luthor and Deathstroke." Artemis snapped.

"It's alright Artemis." Superman was the next one to speak, his own expression serious. "Some of our best are on this. Luckily for us, they were all in Metropolis at the time and were more than happy to go after the trucks."

"Is there a reason you can't just swoop out of the sky and get our friends back?" Everybody looked to Lagoon Boy as he practically snarled at the Man of Steel. Aquaman's pride in the boy immediately drained from his face, replaced by disapproval.

"That's exactly the attitude of an ignorant child." Batman snapped, stepping over so that he was towering over the Atlantean boy. "How do you think that would look if an alien with Supermans powers sped out of the sky to attack two trucks on a public highway?"

"You just said you sent a squad after them!" Lagoon Boys voice raised, not backing down in the face of the infamous 'Bat glare'.

"None of the members of that squad have any official connection to the Justice League and they are disguised. To the public, they'll just be more Meta-Humans causing a disturbance." Batman stated, but Lagoon Boy wasn't having any of it.

"That just gives Luthor more fuel to turn the public against every Meta-Human!" His voice rose further, the Atlantean now yelling. Bunker took a cautionary step backwards, while Bombshell looked on with interest. Tigress, and everybody else assembled, had varying expressions of shock, concern and disapproval on their faces. "You're more concerned about saving face than rescuing Gamma squad!"

"La'gann." Aquaman grabbed the Atlantean by the shoulder, forcing the younger male to look at him instead of the Bat. "THAT is enough."

What happened next shocked everybody. Without hesitation, Lagoon Boy slapped Aquamans hand away with a resounding smack. As the King of Atlantis opened his mouth but found no words to say, Lagoon Boy glared at everybody around him before growling and turned on his heel, storming once more towards the Zeta tubes. Nobody tried to stop him, not even Bunker, and everybody watched the Atlantean disappear into the light.

B-18. Lagoon Boy.

There was a moment of silence as everybody absorbed what had just happened.

"I see why you were concerned about him." Wonder Woman said, speaking for the first time since the squad had arrived, glancing at Aqualad and Batgirl. "Has he been acting like this for long?"

"He has not had any prominent outbursts until today." Aqualad informed her and the Amazon nodded.

"I'll go after him." Wonder Woman stated, moving towards the Zeta Tubes.

"I should be the one." Aquaman interrupted, regret on his face. "Laying my hand on him only escalated the situation."

"You're his mentor Arthur. As we've just seen, hes probably not going to open up to you." Wonder Woman continued towards the Zeta Tubes. "I've always had a good relationship with La'gann. He might talk to me."

"And if he doesn't?" Batman questioned. "We don't have time to be following up on every child that throws a tantrum."

"If it were Dick, Barbara, Jason or Tim, would we even be having this conversation?" Diana questioned as she stepped into the light, leaving the Dark Knight in a rare state of speechlessness.

07\. Wonder Woman.

"We'd better begin the debriefs so you guys can get some rest." Canary said, breaking the silence after Wonder Woman disappeared. "If you three would like to follow me, we'll get started."

* * *

**Highway Between Metropolis and Smallville.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1420 UTC. **

Three motorcycles dashed past the sparse traffic on the road as they closed in on a pair of LexCorp trucks. The small convoy had followed the vehicles even before they had left the city, but they had left enough distance between themselves and their targets to ensure the drivers wouldn't realize they were being tailed. Now that they had put some distance between themselves and civilization, the leader had signaled for them to begin to close in. They were covered head to toe in black, with helmets masking their identities, the most critical part of their mission. Within minutes, they were close enough for their retrieval of the Gamma squad members to be put into action, with no traffic being around to distract from their goal.

The lead driver activated the auto pilot on his motorcycle, reaching down to grasp his red bow and two explosive tipped arrows. With incredible precision, he fired the arrows simultaneously and took out the two tires at the back of the truck, causing it to scrape along the road. To the leaders left, another rider activated the auto pilot on their motorcycle before leaping high into the air above, coming down in front of the first truck and raising their hands, bracing for impact. The truck slammed into the rider, but they stood their ground, bringing the vehicle to a halt as the other two riders zoomed past.

The frontal truck was had taken notice and two guards had taken up position atop the vehicles trailer, firing their weapons at the riders. While the archer fired off two arrows to knock the guns from the guards hands, the final rider sped up beside the truck, activating the autopilot and jumping up atop the trailer. With ease, the rider dispatched the two guards, throwing them from the truck into the cornfield beside the road. He then moved up to the truck itself, sliding through the passengers window and kicking the driver out, through his door which tore from the vehicle as the man was flung through and into the cornfield. The final rider applied the break on the truck and exited once they had stopped the vehicle.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Tempest said into the mic within his helmet, a masked smirk on his face.

"Nothings that easy." Red Arrow warned, bringing his motorcycle to a half and jumping off, his bow locked with an arrow aimed towards the door of the trucks trailer. "Progress update Troia."

"A couple of guards in here, but they were easily taken care of." The female replied. There was silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "Nobody from Gamma is here."

"Damn. Hopefully this other truck won't be a bust." Red Arrow nodded at Tempest, who was standing beside the door at the rear of the trailer.

Before the Atlantean could break the door in, it suddenly opened and Deathstroke himself leaped out, gun aimed at Red Arrow and firing off round after round. Cursing, Arrow threw himself to the side, loosing an arrow that the assassin dodged. Docking another one, Arrow aimed once more as he found his footing at Deathstroke. Tempest leaped towards the assassin, drawing an Atlantean crafted sword from his hip as Deathstroke tossed his gun aside drew his own blade. The two began a furious dance of swordstrikes and parries, with Deathstroke ensuring that Tempest was blocking Red Arrows shot.

"I need an opening." Red Arrow growled into the mic of his helmet.

"Right." Tempest replied, leaping into the air instead of continuing the fight.

Red Arrow loosed his arrow and it sailed towards Deathstrokes throat, but the assassin caught it with his free hand and snapped the projectile before raising his sword to block a downwards slash from Tempest. Jumping to the side, Deathstroke caught Tempest with a sudden kick to the abdomen as the Atlantean fell, before bringing his blade down towards the heroes now exposed neck. Fortunately for Tempest, Deathstrokes blade was smacked off of its trajectory by another arrow from Red Arrow, who had loosed a second one that stuck into the ground behind Deathstroke, exploding and throwing the assassin into the air. Tempest jumped up, grabbing the assassins ankles and slamming him down into the ground so that Deathstrokes back made contact, forcing all the wind out of the assassin. In that time, Red Arrow had reached them and leveled another arrow at the downed assassin, who just stared up at him with a single eye.

"You're beaten Slade." Red Arrow stated.

"Am I?" Deathstroke said, as the ground under him turned black and he fell into the void.

Roy released his arrow, but it only found gravel and cement as the portal closed over. Cursing again, he looked around and was surprised to see Troia flying through the air towards them. Before she could hit the ground, another black portal opened above her and a young man resembling Superboy sped out, catching Troia in the face with two powerful punches that sent her hurtling into the road, creating quite a sizable crater. The Superboy lookalike landed heavily, raising his gaze to fall on Red Arrow and Tempest with the former being completely thrown by what had just happened.

"Move!" Tempest exclaimed, throwing Red Arrow aside as Match appeared where he'd just been standing.

"Why do I always get the difficult jobs?" Arrow grumbled, docking another arrow in his bow as Tempest punched the newcomer in the face.

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1429 UTC. **

"Well, that sums up the debriefing." Black Canary said, waving her hand to dismiss the small holographic screen that had been recording the session.

Canary was sitting at the head of a long table in a room much smaller than the War Room, with Amy and Miguel to her left, and Artemis to her right. The three members of the squad were silent, knowing that the end of a debriefing didn't necessarily mean that the discussion was over. With a small smile at their foresight, Canary spoke once more.

"This will be off the record, because I don't believe it pertains to the mission itself, but how did La'gann seem out in the field?"

"Loud and aggressive, but that's nothing new for him." Artemis replied first with a shrug. "I thought his outburst prior to our mission was an isolated incident, but apparently I was wrong."

"He was perfectly fine before the fighting broke out." Miguel spoke up, his face covered in concern. "He even cracked a smile."

"I didn't see anything wrong with him, outside of his tantrums." Amy stated, frowning as everybody glanced at her. "What? That's what he was doing. Throwing tantrums."

"I've known La'gann for a long time. He's always been loud and aggressive as Artemis so delicately put it, but I've never seen him strike out at somebody they way he did with Batman and Arthur. It's worrying." Canary's gaze fell on Miguel. "You two spend time together outside of assignments. Has he been acting strangely?"

"_Realmente no._" Miguel replied. "I haven't seen him much over the last fortnight though, but I just assumed he was busy in Atlantis."

"Kaldur told me that he has been M.I.A when it concerns Atlantis, at least when it comes to his training and patrol shifts." A sigh escaped Canary's lips before she continued. "It's definitely a problem that nobody seems to know where he's been recently and that he's begun to strike out at members of the Team and the League."

"Hopefully Diana will be able to find out whats bothering him. We can't have him blowing up like that in the field, especially on a covert op." Artemis added.

"Indeed." Canary paused before offering a reassuring smile. "I won't keep you any longer. All of you, go and get some rest. And please let me know if you need anything."

The three nodded and left the room. Once they were out in the hallway, Artemis said her farewells and headed towards the Zeta Tubes, leaving Miguel and Amy alone in the hallway. They quickly reached a consensus that they'd go and visit Tim and headed for the med bay. They arrived to find Batman already there, talking to his sidekick in hushed tones. The Dark Knight noticed the newcomers immediately, frowning at their presence.

"Bunker. Bombshell." He greeted them in a monotone, an unspoken question hanging in the air.

"We uh... we just wanted to see how Tim is." Miguel said, swallowing thickly as Batmans gaze peered through him.

"I can see that." Batman stated, glancing at Tim. "Don't come by the cave until you've fully recovered."

With that, the Dark knight swept out of the med bay, his cape twirling viciously in the air behind him. Once the door closed, Miguel and Amy closed in on Tim, with Miguel taking up a cross legged position at the end of the medical cot Tim was lying on while Amy sat on a nearby stool.

"Canary said you faced down against Deathstroke." Amy broke the silence. "That's pretty badass."

"All it really got me is a screwed up shoulder, sore face and some respiratory problems." Tim replied, smiling appreciatively at the compliment.

"You look like you've been through _infierno_, I'm not going to lie." Miguel remarked, earning a wincing chuckle from Tim. "Don't worry, I'm sure your good looks will come back."

"Stop it." Tim said through a strand of laughter and pained winces. "You're not helping."

"He rarely does." Amy stated with a deadpan expression, earning a laugh from Miguel this time.

"Batman said that La'gann caused a scene and left." Tim said once Miguel was finished. "What was that all about?"

"We don't know." Amy shrugged. "Wonder Woman went to go find out."

"La'gann will be fine once he calms down." Miguel said assuredly. "What I'm worried about is the other members of Gamma."

"I was worried until Batman told me who they sent to get them back." Tim replied. "They've definitely got this."

* * *

**Highway Between Metropolis and Smallville.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1440 UTC. **

They definitely didn't have this.

Tempest for his part, had done quite well handling the Superboy lookalike until Troia joined the battle. While the two of them had managed to contest the newcomer for a time, it was quickly becoming apparent that they were outmatched in terms of power, despite their obvious advantage in regards to their experience in combat.

Red Arrow watched with horror as the Superboy lookalike held either side of Tempests face and blasted him with heat vision, before throwing the Atlantean aside once his screams of agony stopped. A quick look at Tempest told the archer that his squadmates enhanced resistance had definitely helped him and that there wouldn't be any permanent damage. If this beast did anything like that to him however, that would spell death for him. To Tempest and Troia's credit, the two of them had managed to compete with the lookalike for at least a handful of minutes, but it really was a losing situation. It didn't help whatsoever that the archer didn't have any arrows that could actually harm the boy who was turning out to be a full powered version of Superboy, making him wish he'd snagged the Kryptonite arrow from the Arrow Cave when he'd had the chance.

As Tempest hit the ground, Red Arrow rushed to his friends side to survey the damage, wincing at the scorched skin on the Atlanteans forehead. It didn't seem to have actually penetrated further than the skin, but any more exposure would have certainly yielded far more severe results. As he listened to Troia clash against the unknown in the air above, Red Arrow activated the emergency channel of the communicator in his helmet.

"Watchtower, we need backup. NOW. There's a Kryptonian in the field."

"I read you. Superman is on his way. ETA one minute." Batgirls voice came back.

Red Arrow looked up into the sky, wondering if one minute was too long. Despite her obvious advantage in the art of hand to hand combat, Troia appeared to be struggling against her opponents even more obvious edge when it came to strength and speed. Their blows were so powerful that it was causing the very earth beneath them to shake and the entire situation was making Red Arrow wish he had a weapon of mass destruction for an arm like Arsenal. At least then, he wouldnt be completely useless. Just when it seemed like Troia was beginning to have the tide fall against her, something darted out of the sky and Superman rocked the lookalike, sending him hurtling into the distance. As the lookalike recovered, he snarled but did not charge back at the group. Instead his hand went to his ear as somebody spoke into what Red Arrow assumed was an ear bud. With a final glare, the lookalike moved backwards into another dark portal as it opened behind him. Troia and Superman slowly descended as the portal closed, with the former breathing heavily and sweating profusely but still appearing ready for battle.

"Who was that?" Superman asked, staring in the direction where the lookalike had disappeared. "He looked exactly like Kon."

"We'll figure that out later." Red Arrow responded. "Right now we need to worry about getting Garth to the Watchtower."

* * *

**Coast City.**

**January 6th, 2017. 1600 UTC.**

La'gann had Zeta'd to Coast City after leaving the Watchtower, tied the mirage chain around his wrist and headed immediately to the beach where he sat for over an hour, knees pulled up to his chest and eyes staring out at the horizon as Humans thrived around him. He hadn't even moved until he felt somebody come to stand beside him, slowly moving his head to look up at Diana Prince.

"How did you know it was me?" La'gann asked, his voice low.

"I was raised on Themiscayra. The magicks of the Old Gods are the foundation for much of the sorcery employed today, as you well know being an Atlantean. I can sense the power of that charm." The Amazon explained as she took as seat beside him. "You picked a good spot."

"Why did you come?" La'gann turned his head to look at the woman. "Why not Kaldur? Or King Orin?"

"Would you have preferred that either of them came instead of me?" Diana countered, raising an eyebrow. La'gann fell silent. "Do you remember the first time we met?"

Instead of replying, La'gann just turned his focus back to the sea once more, his mouth drawn in a tight line. Diana allowed for a couple of moments silence, a soft smile crossing her face as she continued.

"You were so young, excited at the world around you. Yourself, Orin and I had just finished repelling a raiding party led by Ocean Master in San Francisco." The makings of a smile began to creep onto his disguised face as the woman spoke. "After introducing yourself to me, you challenged the power of my lasso, saying that it couldn't possibly overpower the will of an Atlantean trained in the use of sorcery. How quickly you discovered that was not the case. I cannot quite recall the question I asked y-"

"You asked me which Hero I idolized the most, and without hesitating I said it was you." La'gann supplied, shaking his head as the memory came to him, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "The look on King Orins face was priceless."

"Indeed it was. He was so surprised that you were enamored with somebody other than himself." Diana shared in La'ganns amusement, catching his eye and locking gazes with the young male. "You know that you can tell me anything and I will not hold any judgement for your words, don't you?"

"..." La'gann broke Diana's stared, looking down at the sand. "It's not that simple."

"Try me"

"Very well." La'gann muttered after a solid minute of silence, keeping his gaze from Diana's sympathetic eyes. "In Atlantis, there has been discrimination against Atlanteans who look like me since before I was born. They call us impure and for a while, there was a movement called the 'Purists' who wanted to purge Atlantis of my kind. When King Orin took the throne and took a strong stance against that kind of behavior, most of us believed the Purists had simply been disbanded. But a month after we drove the Reach away from Earth, another group has risen under the moniker of the Purists."

"Orin did mention that at last months meeting." Diana interjected, frowning. "Interesting that he didn't mention this movement to use as soon as it rose up."

"The King believes strongly in maintaining the autonomy of Atlantis. He probably didn't want the League to intervene in case the people seen it as some sort of foreign military interfering in Atlantean matters." La'gann offered.

"The League are not a military operation." Diana responded immediately, her voice still soft but with a slight edge to it.

"Including myself, there are four Atlanteans currently serving on a roster of countless Surface World heroes and alien visitors." La'gann countered, shaking his head. "When Tula died, there were riots in Atlantis. People blamed the Surfacers for her death and wanted the King to immediately cut off relations. My people loved her dearly."

"When you say it that way, I can see why Orin chose to keep this quiet until recently." Diana conceded. "What has been done about these Purists?"

"The King has done his best to silence them by recently assigning the Drift to quietly make arrests." La'gann replied.

"Orin assigned Atlantis' elite soldiers to arrest a minor group of dissenters?" Diana questioned, eyebrow raised.

"They were initially a minor group, but like I said, they rose up five months ago. The King believed he could dissuade them from continuing their actions through diplomacy, but the Purists refused to meet with him. They have hosted rallies throughout Atlantis, including within the crown city of Poseidonis, and encouraged anti crown sympathies throughout the Kingdom. According to Captain Murk, they currently number in the thousands." La'gann swallowed thickly. "Two months ago, while on patrol, they instigated violence in one of the settlements on the outskirts of Poseidonis. Garth and I went to quell it, but when we arrived, they welcomed Garth as a hero while throwing venomous words at me. After several more encounters like this in the following week, I chose to take a break from patrols entirely."

"That explains your absence from them, but not your choice to miss your lessons at the Conservatory." Diana stated.

"There is a small collection of Purist sympathizers at the Conservatory. I did not want to give them a reason to cause division among the students."

"La'gann, you can't let yourself be driven away from your life simply because of a fractional margin of bigots." Diana counselled, pausing as her communicator went off. Casting an apologetic glance at the Atlantean, she answered the call. "Yes?"

"Ares sent a messenger to request your presence at the Parthenon." Batgirl said from the other side. "He said failure to comply will result in the sudden breaking down of relations between two of the worlds major powers."

"I see." Diana sighed. "I will head to Greece immediately."

"Is La'gann alright?" The concern was obvious in the vigilantes voice.

"He will be in time." Diana responded before shutting off the line, slowly she stood up and looked down at the Atlantean who was once more focused on the horizon. "I apologize for this La'gann. As soon as I am free, we shall continue this."

"Alright." La'gann muttered.

Diana paused, clearly torn between her obligations to the protection of the entire world from the God of War and her obligation to assist the young Atlantean. In an almost pained movement, she tore her gaze away from La'gann and broke into a brisk jog towards the nearest Zeta tube.

* * *

**The Watchtower**

**January 6th, 2017. 1730 UTC.**

The War Room of the Watchtower was once more populated with several members of the League and the Team. Batgirl, Aqualad, Red Arrow and Troia represented the Team, while Black Canary, Batman, Superman and Flash were present from the Leagues roster. The atmosphere of the room was of barely contained tension, with the expressions of Troia, Batman and Superman in particular adding to the fog.

"Konnor mentioned years ago that he'd encountered another clone of Superman when he visited CADMUS. Since it was never brought up again, I assumed he'd either killed the clone or it had been decommissioned." Red Arrow said, continuing with their substandard debriefing.

"CADMUS has been shut down for years." Batman stated, his eyes narrowed as usual. "After the Reach were driven away, Guardian and Captain Atom went around the known locations and wiping out the remains of the organization. There wasn't much to dismantle. We were very thorough five years ago. "

"Which raises the question: How did the Light get a hold of this Superman clone?" Black Canary questioned thoughtfully, glancing Troia. "How strong was he exactly?"

"I've never fought Superman myself, but I have fought Diana many times. The power behind his punches matched hers and I'm not entirely sure if he was putting everything into them." The Amazon replied.

"I hit him with enough force to potentially knock Diana out and he shrugged it off." Superman added, his expression darkening further. "I should have taken the clone out immediately, but I hesitated."

"Because he looks like Konner." Flash cut in, nodding sympathetically. "Trust me, if somebody who looked like Wally or Bart came at me, I'd hesitate too."

"If there is somebody in the field who can match Superman blow for blow, we shouldn't send the Team out on missions for a while." Batgirl said. "Theres nobody on our roster who could handle somebody like that if they were ambushed, and if today's shown us anything, even our heavy hitters can't take him."

"Do criminals stop committing crimes simply because Superman exists?" Batman questioned, locking gazes with his protege. "If we don't utilize the Team, we'll never be able to uncover the Lights endgame and they will win."

"I agree with Batman." Aqualad cut in between the two bats. "We will simply have to be more careful about who we assign to missions."

"Why don't we assign some Kryptonite to each squad?" Flash suggested, earning glares from everybody in the room. "What?"

"What happens when one of those squads loses control of that Kryptonite? The Light would have a weapon against our wrecking ball." Batman's eyes narrowed further, this time in thought. "We should offer everybody training sessions on how best to handle somebody like Superman, based on their experience and abilities."

"I'll arrange for all of the members to be here tomorrow for that lesson. I'm sure some of the Leagues heavy hitters will be available." Aqualad agreed. "Now, we should focus on getting the members of Gamma back."

"I'll hit Luthors Smallville facility tonight." Superman stated. "We should have Leaguers hit all of Luthors known facilities under the cover of night. Its risky, but necessary. If none of the members are there, we'll organize a strike on the facilities on all of the Lights other members."

"While you do that, I'll confront Luthor directly." Batman said. "One way or another, he'll talk."

* * *

**?**

**January 6th, 2017. ?**

Barts eyes snapped open, the young speedster gasping for air as he adjusted to the real world from the extremely vivid dream he'd been having. As his eyes acclimated to the dimly lit room, he realized his arms were chained above him, while his legs were restrained at the ankle below him. He glanced around, finding that Jamie and Cassie were similarly restrained on either side of them. The room they were in appeared to be some sort of scientific installation, complete with mysterious computers and scary looking medical instruments. Gathering the speedforce, Bart attempted to vibrated through his restraints but let out a cry when a bolt of pain shot through him in response.

"I wouldn't do that, Bartholomew." Somebody spoke from the shadows. The voice was distinctly male, distorted but intense. "You'll find that your ability to access the speedforce is sufficiently impaired."

"Who are you?" Bart demanded, peering into the shadows.

"A predictable question, if there ever was one." The male chuckled before speaking once more. "My name would not mean much to you however, for you wouldn't know who I am even if I gave it to you."

"What do you want with us then?" The speedster tried, still reeling from the pain.

"Better." The male stated, stepping forward so that his lower half was now visible to Bart. Whoever they were, they wore some sort of form fitting armor. "I suppose you could say that I'm here to help you unleash the best part of yourselves."

"Yeah well, chaining somebody up in a dark room isn't very crash." Bart said, struggling against the chains like a normal person would, instead of trying to access his abilities.

"I suppose the situation would indeed cause you to feel the mode, wouldn't it?" The male said casually, stepping forward more so that his entire body and head were now visible. Visible being the relative term as the man was covered head to toe in the same form fitting armor. Only his mouth was visible, pulled into a crooked, toothy smirk. "I've been waiting a long time to get my hands on the three of you, far longer than your feeble little mind could hope to comprehend."

"Are you as disappointed as I am?" Bart shot, but the male didn't jump to respond to his jab, instead tilting his masked head sideways as if in curiosity.

"Not at all, little speedster. In fact, I am passably whelmed by our meeting." The male nodded once, his smirk growing into a fearsome grin. "It is impressive how fast the sedative wore off on you. At times, even I forget how fast everything goes for those who manipulate the speedforce."

"Can't keep me down." Bart offered a smirk of his own, despite the fact he was utterly unnerved by what was happening.

"Ahh, a challenge." The male chuckled, taking a syringe from his belt filled with a clear liquid. "This time, I'll provide you with a dose three times as potent. Enough to put a human into a medically induced coma. It will be intriguing to see if your kind are capable of shaking off such an intense dosage."

Bart began to struggle against his chains once more at this, even accessing the speedforce out of instinct. As he did, pain hit him once more, but this time it was so powerful that it paralyzed him briefly. It was long enough for the armored male to step forward and jam the needle into his neck. Within seconds, Bart was once more lost to the world, leaving the mysterious male standing in the room looking from one teenage meta human to the other, his grin even wider than before.

"This will be very beneficial to my research. Yes, I believe it will."


	3. GBS Special Broadcast 1

**Authors Note**

I'm going to be uploading these short GBS updates from ol G. Gordon Godfrey periodically between chapters. I was initially going to add them at the start of relevant chapters, but I like the idea of having them as their own standalone snippets. Less awkward for me.

Don't worry! Chapter three is going to be up within the next 48 hours!

* * *

**Young Justice Metagene**

**3 x 2.5**

**Galaxy Broadcasting System Special Broadcast**

* * *

"As you can see, Robin infiltrated LexCorp and attempted to assassinate our beloved former Secretary General!" G Gordon Godfrey exclaimed, following a clip from street level of an explosion, sending glass everywhere, followed by the accused vigilante jumping out the once whole window and swinging into an opposing building. Godfrey was sitting at his desk, the clip replaying once more on a screen behind him, hands clasped together atop the desk and a deep set frown on his face.

"I don't know about you ladies and gentlemen, but I see this as the fault of the GCPD for allowing these costumed vigilantes to act if their own volition for as long as anybody can remember. Now this 'Bat Family' have shown their true colors! Thank goodness that the C.E.O of LexCorp was hosting an important media conference at the time turned presidential rally." A wide smile spread across Godfreys face and he nodded, the screen behind him changing to a still of Luthor at the conference. "That's right everybody. International hero and national treasure, Lex Luthor, has announced his bid to run for the office of President!"

Godfrey stood up, moving around to stand at the front of his desk, which he leaned against casually. Behind him, the screen changed to a very simple digital banner that replicated the 'Vote Luthor' logo displayed at the event from the day before. Godfreys hands dropped to clutch the end of the desk, and his expression dropped with it, as the screen began to play footage of the fighting between Livewire, Lagoon Boy, Bunker and Bombshell.

"Of course, nothing these days is sacred! Our daring candidate wasn't even safe at the conference, with these Meta-Humans stepping in to attack him and steal away the limelight!" The video stopped and zoomed in on Livewire. "This electric maniac attempted to take the life of Luthor, only to be impaired by the arrival of these three starting a riot of their own!" The image changed, splitting up into three sections displaying Lagoon Boy, Bunker and Bombshell in turn. "As you can see, the first rioter is an Atlantean, obviously affiliated with Aquaman, while the other two reflect the appearance and abilities of Captain Atom and Green Lantern!" The camera zoomed in on Godfrey, his expression softening slightly. "Now I'm not accusing the Justice League of setting up these attacks on the man who may very well be our next president, but I'm certainly not saying they didn't!"

The camera zoomed out, showing the screen behind Godfrey which showed images of Batman, Aquaman, Captain Atom and Green Lantern, with each of their protege's below them. A large red X appeared on the screen which covered every one of the heroes, before the camera focused on Godfrey once more.

"I know what some of you are thinking. Ol G Gordon is running a smear campaign against the Justice League, like he did against the Reach last year. And to you I'll say this. Was I wrong about the Reach?" The middle aged male raised an eyebrow, remaining silent for a breath before smirking. "If your answer to that was yes, I'd think very carefully about the state of your sanity. Do you you really want to live in a world where Aliens and these Meta-Humans are at the top of the status quo!?"

Godfrey moved away from his desk, coming to stand in front of a much larger screen with 'The real Injustice League?' written in bold crimson on it.

"Reports have come in of Meta-Humans attacking LexCorp transports meant for Smallville in broad daylight, and there are unconfirmed accounts coming in from around the country at LexCorp installments that were allegedly assaulted last night by masked Meta-Humans with abilities that matched League members such as Hawkman and Icon!" Godfrey let out a long sight, looking down at the ground before glancing back up at the camera, suddenly appearing to have lost his energy. "If this doesn't convince you that the League and their sidekicks are somehow involved in the rise of Meta-Human crime across the world, I don't know how I will. Perhaps I'll just stand here and consider the issue until the League inevitably carries out another strike on an innocent man and his livelihood!"


	4. The Calm and The Storm

**Authors Note**

Hiya. :) For this chapter, I'm going to preface it with a list of the characters who weren't highlighted in the show as I introduce them, both their real names and their hero names. I just don't want to confuse anybody with the switches between their alias and their real identity. I'll continue to do this as I go if I don't write it directly into the chapter. Also, quick warning, this chapter will have some pretty heavy moments.

Miguel Barragan = Bunker.

Amy Allen = Bombshell.

Ray Harper = Red Arrow. I like Will, but this name has been my head canon since Invasion.

Donna Troy = Troia.

Jefferson Pierce = Black Lightning.

Virgil Hawkins = Static.

* * *

**Review Responses**

Thanks to everybody whose reviewed so far! To Hayden Philyaw yes, Beast Boy will feature in this story. He's mentioned in the next chapter. :)

* * *

**Young Justice Metagene**

**3 x 3**

**The Calm and The Storm**

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**The Watchtower.**

**January 7th, 2017. 0900 UTC.**

Miguel let out an audible yawn as he entered the training room, following sluggishly after Amy and La'gann. None of them were wearing their hero gear, instead being dressed in comfortable but functional fitness clothes. Well, La'gann and Amy were anyway, with the latter only wearing a simple pair of blue shorts and the latter wearing sleeveless active gear. Miguel had opted for grey sweatpants and a white tank top. In his mind, training meant fitness. And fitness meant sweatpants and a shirt that didn't cover enough to smother him in heat and sweat while he trained.

As the trio moved into the large open space, they were found that quite a lot of familiar faces were already assembled. At the far end of the room, Kaldur, Artemis, Donna and Ray were congregating with two League members in the form of Captain Atom and Barry Allen, the later of which was in his civvies, while the former was suited up. Probably because if Captain Atom wasn't suited up, he'd unleash an explosion of unprecedented proportions and power that would very easily wipe out the Watchtower and everybody on it. Another group closer to the door were also talking, made up of Roy, Virgil and Tim, with the Boy Wonder wearing a sling while also nursing several other surface injuries. Obviously, he wasn't going to be participating.

Taking notice of the trios arrival, Kaldur lead his group over to the others, with Miguels squad merging with the already assembled Team members. Captain Atom and Barry hung back behind the veterans of the Team, with the fastest man alive beginning a stretching routine.

"Thank you all for coming in so early on short notice." Kaldur greeted everybody with a warm smile. Like everybody else, he was in workout gear and Miguel found him gaze drifting around the room to study every bodies choices. All of which seemed to be more 'official' than his. "I will cut to the chase. We've asked you here because yesterday afternoon, a squad made up of Red Arrow, Tempest and Troia encountered a full powered Kryptonian clone while attempting to rescue the members of Gamma. Sufficed to say, things did not go well."

"Where is Garth?" La'gann asked, his arms folded across his chest. His entire body had tensed up when he spoke and Miguel looked at his friend with concern.

"He was seriously injured during the battle." Donna responded, holding up a hand to keep La'gann silent as he opened his mouth angrily. "His injuries will not cause any lasting damage, though the recovery period may be lengthy. Thankfully, Atlanteans are a hardy people and more capable of handling what a Kryptonian can dish out."

"First they take the other members of Gamma, and now they reveal that they've got a world shattering bomb in their pocket?" Tim muttered, shaking his head. "They wouldn't have done either of those things if randomly. There's going to be more."

"Indeed. The League spent much of the night infiltrating former CADMUS facilities and notable LexCorp installations in order to either discover the location of Gamma or this clone, but have yet to find success." Kaldur's eyes hardened as he spoke, though his smile remained in place. "Because of this clone, we agreed that all of the members of the Team will need training in how to approach somebody that may be as powerful as Superman."

"Y-you want us to fight someone like that?" Virgil's face was the picture of fear. "I uh... I just play around with electricity. I can't take a guy like Superman."

"Pft, Kryptonians have some glaring weaknesses that can be taken advantage of." Roy chimed in, rolling his eyes. "Just give us some Kryptonite."

"That idea was thrown around, but ultimately, we decided that was a flawed plan." Barbara replied. "To be honest, having Kryptonite is useless anyway if you can't keep pace."

"We spent the morning gathering together data on each of you. Your abilities, combat experience, stamina levels." Ray said, shutting down what was sure to otherwise be an argument. "With all of that in mind, we came up with personalized ways for specific squads to go up against a Kryptonian and emerge out the other end alive, more times than not, according to the simulations."

"So that why they're here." La'gann said, nodding to the two Leaguers. "Flash to simulate Superman's speed, Atom to demonstrate his power."

"Yup." Barbara nodded. "Until the clone can be neutralized, you'll be assigned to either Epsilon or Zeta. The squads have been chosen to capitalize on your personal strengths to create a stable whole."

"On that note, here are the rosters." Roy finished. "Epsilon is Roy, Virgil and Tim, once he recovers. You'll be overseen by Donna, who will act as the leader when you're in the field. Zeta is La'gann, Miguel and Amy. You'll be overseen by Artemis when shes available and me when she's not."

"Epsilon, you'll be training with Barry first. Zeta, you're with Captain Atom." Kaldur said, dismissing the two new squads.

* * *

**Bludhaven.**

**January 7th, 2017. 0945 UTC.**

Artemis pulled the hood of her jacket down as she entered the rundown apartment building, shaking any rogue droplets of water off as the rain poured down behind her outside. Doing her best not to judge the poor conditions of the building, she climbed three flights of stairs, moving down a short hallway to stand outside the door of one Dick Grayson. She knocked once. No response. A second, louder knock didn't seem to work either. Rolling her eyes, the archer tried the handle and raised her eyebrow as she found the door was unlocked.

Cautiously, she entered the apartment and closed the door behind her, frowning at the interior. To say it was a mess was a complete understatement. Fast food wrappers were littered across the floor alongside random articles of clothing and the occasional piece of plastic cutlery. Alfred would have a complete fit if he could see the conditions of the place. Taking her coat off and hanging it on the hook on the back of the main door, she navigated the lounge and entered the bedroom to find who she was looking for. The last Flying Grayson was looking about as graceful as a cinder block, half of his body hanging off of the queen sized bed, covers discarded onto the floor and mouth open as he snored. Artemis noted that he must not be very warm, considering the fact he liked appeared to like sleeping in his underwear. She eyed the situation for a moment before clearing her throat.

Instantly, Dicks blue eyes snapped open and he vaulted off of the bed, crossing the wooden floor in about a second towards her before stopping in his tracks as his vision finally registered with his brain, his body relaxing.

"Artemis?" He asked, voice raspy.

"Yup. Let myself in." Artemis took the opportunity to survey the young man before him. He had a five o'clock shadow, hair now almost shoulder length and unkempt, eyes with dark under circles giving away the lack of sleep the vigilante was getting. What was most concerning to her was the state of his body. His left bicep was wrapped in bandages, his legs had a series of relatively fresh wounds, ribs bruised and he had a decent cut across his chest that Dick obviously hadn't thought was important enough to bind before passing out. "You should probably clean that before it gets infected, assuming it isn't already."

"Huh?" Dick glanced down, taking in the wound on his chest as if it was the first time he'd seen it. "Oh. That's new."

"Wheres your first aid kit?" Artemis asked with a sigh.

"Bathroom." Was Dicks quiet response.

Jamming her thumb over her shoulder towards Dicks couch, Artemis turned and found her way to the bathroom, finding that the first aid kit was scattered across the floor. Grabbing what she needed, she took note of the half finished bottle of vodka and took that as well, before heading back into the lounge where Dick was waiting, looking like a child who'd been called to the principals office.

"Grow up." Artemis drawled, kneeling down in front of her patient and splashing some vodka across the wound before proceeding to clean it, earning a hiss from Dick. "Oh, does that hurt? So does being ghosted for six months."

"I..." Dick winced as Artemis did her work. "I wasn't ghosting you."

"Ignoring texts, leaving messages on read and letting phone calls go to voice mail is pretty much the definition of ghosting." Artemis said, glaring at the wound, hands moving quickly and delicately.

"So that's why you decided to come in person?" Dick asked.

"Believe it or not, this isn't about our friendship troubles. I'm here on business." Artemis replied, finishing the cleaning of the wound and beginning to cover it. "Yesterday, the Light made a move. Tim and Garth have been taken out of the equation for a couple of weeks at least. Jamie, Bart and Cassie were all taken by Deathstroke. Oh, and there is another Superman clone, but this one plays for the bad guys team."

"Oh." Dick said, a frown on his face as he took in the new information.

"Oh?" Artemis growled, beginning to wrap some bandages around Dicks torso to hold the cover in place. "That's all you've got to say?"

"What am I supposed to say Artemis?" Dick asked, his voice sounding hollow. "I can't get involved."

"You can't? So you don't want you help us get those kids back from the Light?" Artemis paused, glaring up into Dicks eyes. "You can't be serious."

"Kaldur will handle it." Dick tried, earning a snarl from the female.

"Kaldur isn't a master of tracking and infiltration." Artemis countered.

"You've got Babs." The former Boy Wonder responded.

"Why are you deflecting?" Artemis realized what was happening, standing up as she finished her the bandaging, looking down at her friend with a mixture of concern and annoyance. "We need you and all you want to do is look for reasons not to help." When Dick didn't reply, a thought entered Artemis' mind and her expression softened. "Is this about Wally?"

Instead of replying, Dick reached for the bottle of vodka, obviously meaning to take a swig. Artemis was faster, something that surprised her, and she took control of the bottle instead, holding it just out of his reach. The air became thick with tension and Dick moved to stand in order to pursue the bottle and Artemis responded harshly, slamming the palm of her free hand against Dicks shoulder to force him into a seated position, her hand remaining there to apply pressure.

"Stop it." Artemis warned, her other hand holding the bottle well out of Dicks reach. "Dick, we all miss him. I understand, maybe more than anybody, about what you're feeling. But judging by what I've seen since I walked in the door, it seems like you've just wallowed in grief for the last six months instead of dealing with your loss."

"So I should just be happy?" Dick narrowed his eyes in anger, something that Artemis had only seen a handful of times before. "Forget that he existed? Clearly that's what you did. Swinging around saving the day with everybody els-"

The sound of Artemis' palm colliding with Dicks face was harsh and the vigilante found that whatever words he was going to say were slapped right out of his mouth. Following this, the back of her hand collided with the other cheek in a resounding double strike that left both of his cheeks red. Tears of resentment fought to fall down Artemis' face but she fought them back, slamming the bottle down on the table and stepping back.

"How dare you." She said, her voice shaking with ever word. "I never thought I'd see the day that you'd say something like that to me. You, of all people."

"... I loved him." Dick whispered, causing the compassion to flood back into Artemis expression.

"We all loved him, but he wouldn't want anybody to fall this low because of grief over his... his passing." Artemis voice cracked as she spoke. Dick didn't look up at her, appearing to be focused on the wall, remaining silent for what felt like an hour.

"No. I **loved** him Artemis." He said finally, his voice still barely audible. "And hes gone..."

To say Artemis was shocked was an understatement, but rather than focus on that, she found herself moving to sit down on the couch, cradling Dick in her arms as he began to cry. As Artemis hushed the younger male, she couldn't help but let her own tears fall.

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 7th, 2017. 1030 UTC.**

"Mierda!" Miguel exclaimed, raising his hands to summon a barrier made up of purple bricks, made of a similar energy to that of a Green Lantern ring.

His reaction was just in time, as Captain Atoms fist collided heavily with the improvised shield. Miguels face contorted with effort at the impact, the barrier beginning to crack already. As the Captain drew back his fist for another strike, he was knocked to the side as Amy shoulder barged her mentor, something La'gann followed up by dropping down from a leap into the air, his form enlarged as he fell onto the hero. The room shook from the impact and Miguel let his barrier drop, sweat formed on his forehead.

"Good job." Captain Atom said, standing up as La'gann shrunk back to his normal size. The radioactive hero added a curt nod before speaking again. "Remember that when it comes to absorbing punishment, Miguel is your best bet. As you've just displayed, it gives the two of you time to put a counterattack into action."

"I always thought I'd be the one acting as the tank of the party." Amy said, a smirk spreading across her face as she clapped Miguel on the shoulder. "You'll finally be able to get in on the action."

"Yeah..." Miguel mumbled, glancing over at the other team as Roy and Static faced down against Barry. "Aren't these teams a little desigual? I mean, two of them are just normal humans."

"They are humans yes, but the two of them are anything but normal." Captain Atom said, speaking once more as Miguel looked on in confusion. "You and Amy are among the most powerful Meta-Humans on the Teams roster, however between you both, your combat experience is minuscule. La'gann is an Atlantean, superhuman and trained since a young age in combat and Atlantean sorcery with considerable combat experience. However, even if your cumulative combat experience was put together, it still wouldn't match even half of either of those boys."

"I could take either of them." La'gann huffed, also casting his gaze across the room.

"If I recall correctly, you were quite handily defeated by Tims predecessor." Captain Atom said, shutting the young Atlantean down gently. "Tim has been with Batman for about three years, spending his nights combating dangerous people, including Meta-Humans. Roy was trained by Green Arrow. His skill in the art of combat is so great that he defeated Mercy Graves alone, when he'd just come out of a coma and only had one arm. He now has a replacement for his lost arm that can unleash blasts comparable to Amy's and has had six months of training and field work since his encounter with Mercy."

"And Virgil?" Amy asked.

"Virgil's a Meta-Human with power that already matches his mentor, and potential far beyond that." The Captain explained. "Alongside his own formidable abilities, Jefferson is also an athlete on par with Olympians and one of the most talented hand to hand fighters in the world. I'm sure he's been drilling aspects of his combative prowess into Virgil."

"When you lay it all out like that, it's pretty clear why the squads were set up like this." Miguel conceded, glancing at Ray as the archer approached them.

"How are things going with you guys?" Ray asked, directing his question largely towards Captain Atom.

"They are quick studies. I'm confident that they'll easily pick up the remaining strategies that were crafted for them."

"Good." Ray nodded, before taking several steps back. "Right then. Show me how you apply maneuver C."

* * *

**Bludhaven.**

**January 7th, 2017. 1045 UTC.**

Artemis and Dick now sat at either end of the couch, their tears having dried up and the feeling of numbness well and truly set in. Each of them held a glass in their hands, generously filled with the clear alcohol. Dicks glass had been depleted faster than Artemis' only a handful of shallow sips remaining. Silence had fallen in the lounge for some time, but it wasn't tense. Rather, the feeling of the room was comfortable and all sense of malice that had been previously present was gone. Raising her glass to her lips, Artemis took a drink of the notoriously burning liquid before breaking the silence.

"Did you and Wally ever...?" She left the question open ended, knowing that it would be obvious exactly what she was referring to.

"Once. After Tula." Dick replied softly, pausing for a moment before adding: "It was one sided."

"Tell me about it."

Artemis took another mouthful of vodka after speaking, her mind racing. The date of Tula's death appeared in the forefront of her thoughts and she chose not to comment on the fact that the time in question was well into her relationship with Wally. She'd never once believed that Wally could be unfaithful to her, so she was curious to hear about this incident. Though emotions fought to break through the surface, Artemis kept herself restrained. She'd hear what Dick had to say before placing judgement.

"It was on the anniversary of my parents deaths." Dick began, refusing to meet her eyes. "It had been less than a year since Jason, barely two months since Tula, Bruce and I were still fighting. I took the night off from the Team and headed to a club in Gotham to drown my sorrows." He took a break to have a drink before continuing. "I got a little bit... loose, just enough to give me less of a filter and more confidence to act on things. I called Wally and asked him to come get me, lied about how I was too drunk to drive myself home. He knew what day it was and showed up not long after we hung up."

Artemis nodded. She recalled Wally leaving their bed that night, saying that he had to go rescue Dick from himself. Like every original member of the Team, she had the date of the Flying Graysons fall burned into her brain. They'd all taken turns each year to distract the youngest sidekick, so it was nothing new to her at the time.

"Wally drove me home and agreed to come up for a while." Dick resumed the story. "After a couple of hours of 'bro stuff' that led us into the early hours of the next day, he told me it was time for bed since he had a test in a few hours. He helped me into my room and I used our closeness as an opportunity to kiss him." For the first time during his story, Dick glanced at Artemis. Her face was a mask, but there was something in her gaze that made him feel more guilty than he already did. "He didn't stop me, but he also didn't encourage it. Just kind of... humored me for a couple of seconds before pulling away."

"And then?" Artemis prompted hastily, her voice letting slip a hint of anger.

"He just acted like it was a normal thing that we did regularly, which we obviously didn't. Carried on leading me to my bed and talking about how he wished he'd revised more for the test." A tiny smile graced the acrobats face. "I was so worried that he'd react badly to my gesture that I had no response for him acting like just the standard for us. At least, he did until I tried again."

"You tried to kiss him again?" Artemis breathed, her shoulders tensing. She attempted to calm herself once more, taking another drink, but found that the burning sensation of the alcohol only caused her anger to bubble further towards the surface, and it was obvious Dick could see it.

"That time, he stopped me. Told me that the first one was free, but a second one might cost him his relationship with you." Dick's smile was gone and his gaze had shifted back towards the wall. "I... started to break down, all my stress from the last year culminating into a single outburst. I told him that I felt like I was losing everybody, that I was responsible for Jason and Tula's deaths, that I drove Bruce away and that now I was going to drive him away too." His voice began to crack and he cleared his throat. "Somehow he managed to calm me down and convinced me that I wasn't going to lose him just because I was drunk and tried to make a move. Made some jokes about me trying to sleep with everybody and that he was a bit honored that I'd tried to make him my first attempt with a guy."

"I see." Artemis stated, her anger leveling out but remaining in place, for the moment. "So, he didn't encourage your attempts to sleep with him?"

"Nope." Dick shook his head. "I asked him to lie with me until I fell asleep, because I didn't want to be alone, and he agreed to. I pushed the boundaries a little by cuddling into him, but he didn't protest. When I woke up a few hours later, he was gone."

"And that's the only time something like that happened?"

"Yes." Dick confirmed. "He never mentioned it again, but I think it was in his mind when we organized to have you go undercover. He got angry at me after you blew up Mount Justice, more angry than I've ever seen him and I think that maybe he thought I put you in that position because I was jealous. I could be wrong though."

Artemis stayed silent after this, considering everything she'd just been told. While she was angry at Dick for his actions, she could see the guilt that he felt and it was obvious that Wally hadn't encouraged the vigilantes actions whatsoever. Considering that the event had taken place during a very trying time in Dicks life, Artemis rationalized that he must have only acted at that time as a way to cope with everything. Finishing off her glass, the archer placed it on the table and spoke up.

"How long did you feel like that for Wally?"

"I'm not sure." Dick shrugged. "I only realized that those feelings existed after Jasons death, but they definitely didn't just appear out of nowhere. Starting a relationship with Babs really helped me to cope, but Wally being taken so suddenly... it's really screwed me up."

"I understand." Artemis conceded, her anger slowly, but surely, simmering back down. "It's been the same for me, but keeping myself busy with the Team has really helped. It also helps that I've been sharing my grief with Mr and Mrs West."

"Must be nice." Dick muttered, a hint of spite in his tone.

"Dick, I'm not saying that your feelings for Wally aren't valid." Artemis replied immediately, wanting to stomp out any animosity immediately. "But you've let yourself fall into a rut. I'm sure Babs would have been able to help you cope. Hell, Kaldur and I would have made time to support you if we had known."

"It would have been a waste of time. Not like he loved me back anyway." Dick was now glaring at the wall, his grip tight around the glass in his hand.

"Wally did love you Dick, just not in the way you loved him." Artemis argued. "Sometimes, we fall for people that can't give us what we want."

"Don't patronize me." Dick sneered, standing up and making for his bedroom. "Thanks for dropping by. You know the way out."

"Dick!" Artemis jumped off the couch, staring at the back of the younger males head. "I'm sorry that you've been going through it, but the Team still needs your help. Maybe helping to prevent Gamma from suffering the same fate as Wally will help you to come to terms with his passing?"

Dick tensed up, storming into his room and slamming the door behind him. Peering at the door in frustration, Artemis began to gather up the components of the first aid kit to put them away before she moved for the exit, grabbing her jacket off the door there. As she stepped outside the apartment, she made sure to slam the door loudly and began the descent down the stairs, a mixture of sympathy and rage battling within her chest.

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 7th, 2017. 1400 UTC.**

It had been a long day of training for the members of the newly christened Epsilon and Zeta squads, but finally it had come to an end. As Epsilon disbanded and left the Watchtower behind to salvage what remained of the rest of the day, Zeta headed for the showers. Amy headed into the female designated bathrooms, while Miguel followed La'gann into the males. The Meta-Human was regretting his choice of attire, having sweated right through everything, particularly when he was being taught how to handle somebody with the speed of Superman and the Flash. The trick was to always be moving and have at least three different follow up actions in mind and for somebody who preferred to just focus on one thing at a time, it had been a difficult trick to learn for Miguel.

The two males separated into their own stalls and Miguel washed the exhaustion of the early day away, eventually emerging to pull on fresh clothes. As he left his stall, he found La'gann standing before the floor length mirror off to the side, wearing only a pair of underwear and his disguise charm, a small pile of his clean clothes on the floor beside him. Raising an eyebrow, Miguel walked over to his friend, eyeing the Human form that La'gann himself seemed to be so interested in. What concerned Miguel the most however, was the sadness in La'ganns currently human eyes.

"You know that you don't need to wear that charm here, right amigo?" Miguel asked in a cheerful tone. La'gann jumped, apparently not having noticed him.

"Uh yeah, sure." La'gann replied, taking off the charm and quickly dressing himself, his Atlantean appearance returning as he did. "Have you got anything planned for the rest of the day?"

"Not really, you?" Miguel responded.

"No." La'gann stated simply as he finished dressing, depositing the charm into one of the pockets of the shorts he now wore.

"Wanna do something?" Miguel prompted with a smile on his face. "We could head to that arcade in Metropolis? Or maybe go swimming at the beach in Coast City?"

"So, things that would require me to wear the charm anyway?" La'gann rounded on his friend with a scowl.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you." Miguel said, raising his hands submissively, his face lighting up with worry. "Sheesh, whats got you so tense La'gann?"

"I'm not tense. I just don't see the point in wasting my time going somewhere where I have to hide my appearance."

"You're right. Lo siento." Miguel apologized, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We could go to my apartment and watch movies? Netflix just updated their catalog."

"I think I'll just go back to Atlantis." La'gann huffed, beginning to push past Miguel.

"Wait." Miguel ordered, grabbing La'ganns arm and causing the Atlantean to stop in his tracks. "Somethings wrong La'gann, even if you won't admit it. You know that I'm here for you, right?"

"... Yeah." La'gann sighed, looking back at Miguel over his shoulder. "I just don't want to be around people at the moment."

"Why?" Miguel pressed, causing La'gann to pull his arm away.

"Stop pushing! I just told you I don't want to be around people! Neptunes beard, that should be enough! Why do you Surfacers always try to force your way into peoples business!?" La'gann yelled, catching Miguel off guard.

"I did-" Miguel started, but was cut off but La'gann.

"'I didn't mean to do this, I didn't mean to do that!' All you Surfacers do is create problems for yourselves with your constant pestering!" La'gann glared at Miguel, who was at a loss for words at this point. Lips curling into a snarl, La'gann spoke once more in a more even tone. "Leave. Me. Alone."

With that, La'gann grabbed his dirty shorts and exited room, leaving a stunned and somewhat hurt Miguel behind, staring at the space where his friend had just been standing.

* * *

**? **

**January 7th, 2017. 1500 UTC.**

"His body burned off the sedative within a manner of hours. The genetic makeup of one inundated with the speedforce is really quite exceptional." Said the male with the intense voice as he addressed the other members of the Light. "The half Amazon has recently awoken, confirming to me that they have some natural resistance to man made sedatives, while the other boys scarab slowly but surely siphoned off the sedative. All traces of it are completely absent from my recent testing of his blood."

"I could have simply told you that the Amazons are resistant to your mortal concoctions." A handsome young man replied, his blonde hair falling over his forehead.

"Where would the fun have been in that, Ares?" The intense male responded with a chuckle.

"I do not concern myself with matters of temporary and arbitrary pleasure." The God of War responded. "I would caution you to not stray off the course we have laid for you, lest things turn unpleasant."

"Gentlemen, please." Luthor interjected, his voice smooth as always. "I'm sure that everything Harvest is doing is with the interests of the Light at heart."

"Of course it is." Harvest nodded, his mouth distorted upwards in a terrifying smile, the only part of him that was actually visible beneath his armor. "Before I can unleash the potential of these subjects, I must understand how their bodies work. Otherwise, I'd kill one of them and that would only draw the ire of the mentors. As you displayed with your orchestration of Jason Todds downfall, and the murder of the Atlantean girl."

"How do you know about that?" Ras Al Ghul questioned quietly, his eyes narrowing marginally.

"Before I could offer my services to your organization, I first had to understand how it functioned." Harvest responded coyly, before changing the subject. "I will be ready to proceed with phase two before the week is out. X recovered two of the Markov siblings last night for me without incident."

"Such an aggressive move will draw the attention of both the League and the United Nations." Luthor cautioned. "I trust that you've prepared for that?"

"Of course I have." Harvest stated.

"It doesn't matter regardless." Queen Bee spoke up. "Markovia prides themselves on their neutrality and solitary stance on the world stage. The royal family will attempt to resolve the situation themselves before asking for help, and by the time that they do contact the United Nations, it will be too late."

"And with the media scrutiny, the League will be unable to interfere directly, meaning they'll have to rely upon sending in more members of their little covert ops team." Luthor smirked. "They'll simply be adding more fuel to our fire."

"I've been reviewing your dossiers on the known members of the Junior League, and I'd like to acquire one in particular." Harvest stated, putting up an image of the member in question on his own screen.

"Why exactly do you want this one in particular?" Queen Bee asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Having such power on our side will be beneficial in the long run." Harvest stated. "If there is nothing else, I'll be going."

When nobody responded, Harvest shut down his communications, leaving himself alone in a small room. As if on cue, the door behind him opened and Red X walked in, waiting silently to be acknowledged. Harvest turned to face the young man, nodding in greeting and giving him the permission to speak.

"The Markovs are being put through the alteration process as we speak." The masked man said.

"Good work." Harvest praised, folding his hands behind his own back. "I have no use for you over the next few days. You're free to follow your own volition."

"Thank you, master." X replied, but he didn't move.

"What is it?" Harvest growled.

"During my recent assignment to collaborate with Deathstroke and the League of Shadows, I noticed a young man among their ranks. He felt... familiar." X explained, his tone sounding uncertain. "Who is he?"

"He is of no consequence." Harvest said, a rare frown upon his face. "Knowing his identity will not add anything to your existence and pursuing such knowledge is fruitless. You will give no more thought to this person."

"As you wish." X said after a moment of silence, bowing his head before leaving the room.

Harvest remained behind, running his tongue along his teeth as he fell into a moment of intense contemplating. Slowly, he turned back to his communications console and keyed in a very specific frequency. When the image of his contact appeared on the screen, Harvest spoke immediately in an authoritative tone.

"Have subject ten placed back into reconditioning, and this time, make sure that it is absolute."


	5. Covert Missions

**Authors Note**

Happy Season Finale everybody! Young Justice: Outsiders was such a good season, though I do think it took on way too much all at once. With that final shot, seems like they'll continue overloading us in Season Four, but I'm still excited! Outsiders set up so much!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Its the first of a three parter, my own version of one of the shows three episode arcs! If you'd like to, let me know what you thought in a review. :)

* * *

**Young Justice Metagene**

**3 x 4**

**Covert Missions**

* * *

**Infinity Island.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1120 UTC.**

The current headquarters of the League of Shadows was one of the most impregnable installations on the planet. Nothing moved on the island without the Demons Head being aware of it, and few arrived without his will granting authorization of such. The facility served as the training grounds for an army of ninja who were mentored in the art of death and drilled to have complete loyalty to their leader. On top of that, a state of the art security system ensured that if somebody were to somehow subvert the shinobi guarding the facility, they would still fall victim to technology. It truly was a death trap for the uninitiated.

Fortunately, both Batman and Green Arrow had been initiated.

A the Bat Plane flew high over the airspace of the island, the two infamous vigilantes dived out of the air craft, free falling for some time before using their unique techniques to land otherwise unharmed right in the center of the courtyard in the heart of the facility. Green Arrow had his bow drawn already, several arrows docked for immediate use, back to back with Batman who simply stood silently with the entirety of his body hidden within his cloak. The ninja that had been meditating in the courtyard immediately dispersed, the door to the main building opening and beckoning for the vigilantes to enter. Without a second though, Batman headed for the entrance, with the more cautious Green Arrow following mere steps behind.

As the doors closed behind them, the two were met with the Sensei, who regarded them both with clear malice but turned his back on them to lead them through a maze of dimly lit corridors despite the bright summer light outside. At some point, they began to descend into the very depths of the island before entering a large cave. In the center of the cave was a Lazuras pit, bubbling mysteriously, while not far to the left, several attendees were dressing Ras Al Ghul himself, who eyed his two guests as they entered from his throne like perch. Much of the cave itself was blanketed in darkness and the shadows themselves felt almost alive.

"Detective." Ras nodded towards the Bat, his eyes shifting towards Green Arrow. "Al Sah-him."

"Oh, we aren't interrupting your bath time are we Ras?" Green Arrow quipped, docking his arrows and holstering his bow. As he spoke, Sensei moved protectively to his masters side. "Looks like the fountain of youth is still treating you well."

"Indeed." The Demons Head drawled, his voice not betraying whether or not he was amused or frustrated by the archers words, though his attention shifted fully to the Bat. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You know why we're here." Batman snapped, his eyes narrowing marginally.

"The children." Ras eye lids drooped, as if he were bored by the notion. "You are of course aware, that their abduction does not fall under the umbrella of my authority."

"You trained Slade." Green Arrow replied when Batman chose to simply glare at the master assassin. "He was there. Ergo, you're involved."

"I will not be held responsible for the actions of one of my wayward flock." Ras responded coolly as one of his attendants draped a thick cape over his shoulders and he stood. "The two of you are also a part of that flock. By your flawed logic, you shared involvement as well in the young heroes kidnapping."

"We investigated every known facility affiliated with Luthor and CADMUS after the appearance of the second Superman clone and found no traces of Gamma squad." Batman growled, taking a series of aggressive steps towards Ras.

Before the Dark Knight could continue, the cave suddenly became awash with movement. Countless Shadows darted from the darkness, creating a protective barrier in a respectful perimeter around Ras Al Ghul, while Sensei drew his blade. Behind Green Arrow and Batman, more Shadows flooded into the cave and blocked the entrance. Weapons of all kinds were aimed at the two vigilantes, ranging from firearms, to bows and arrows, to various blades. Batman, to his credit, stopped in his tracks but remained relaxed, while Green Arrow immediately reached to draw his own bow.

"I wouldn't do that Oliver." A female voice stated, pressing a knife against the side of his neck. "Yours is not blood that I'd cherish spilling."

"Is that concern in your lovely voice, Shiva?" Oliver smirked, letting his arms drop to his side.

The master combatant fell silent, as did the room for several seconds before another figure dropped from the ceiling and accosted Batman. The Dark Knight stepped to the side to avoid the initial drop, one arm emerging from his cloak to swat away three shuriken that had been thrown at him by the assailant, who was dressed similarly to the standard shadows, though his tunic was crimson in color and his hood was drawn up. As the shuriken hit the ground, the red Shadow drew a sword from its sheath on his back his back and jumped forward, swinging precisely but erratically. Both of Batmans arms were now in use, calmly blocking each strike with his gauntlets.

"Enough."

The single word from Ras caused the red Shadow to halt in his tracks, sword hanging in the air a mere breath from the Bats shoulder. Without another sound, the red Shadow sheathed his blade and stepped back several paces, staring at Batman as the Dark Knight returned to his cloaked default stance.

"I don't think he likes you Bats." Green Arrows joyful voice cut through the tension, the archer having been rotated to face the fight by Shiva as it progressed.

"Apologies Detective. This one is new to our ways." Ras said, moving past Sensei and the barrier of Shadows to come to the red Shadows side, a hand falling heavily on the hooded males shoulders, his voice shifting to hold an edge to it. "You will not disrespect my guests in such a way again, boy." The red Shadow nodded and Ras let his hand return once more to his hip. "The Superman clone you refer to is known as Project Match. It is a perfect imitation of the Man of Steel, though it took some time to develop adequate mental faculties."

"And Gamma Squad?" Batman pressed.

"I confess, I do not know much about the man who now has them, though I will share what I do know." From within his robes, Ras produced a USB stick which he tossed to Batman. "On that drive, you will find information about that man, as well as the location of one of his facilities located in Vlatava... You will of course, owe me compensation for my assistance."

"What could you ever want?" Green Arrow asked, eyebrow raising.

"Never mind that." Ras paused. "I will approach each of you at some point in the future and I will ask of you a favor. All I ask, is that you do me the courtesy of considering it."

"Fine." Batman agreed.

"And how do we know you can trust you not to be using this as an excuse to capture more members of our Team?" Green Arrow asked.

"That is no scheme of mine, but I cannot assure you that will not be the case. Shiva, release Al Sah-him." Ras ordered, the female doing so immediately. The Demons Head then gestured towards the entrance of the cave. "I trust the two of you can find your own way out."

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1113 UTC.**

The training room was once again occupied, though this time by a much smaller group. In the center of the space, Artemis stood with her arms raised before her, eyes darting around her. The archer was surrounded by La'gann, Miguel and Amy who were each on different sides, with Miguel being the only one directly out of Arte,is' view. Without warning, La'gann dashed forward, swinging widely in an attempt to clothesline Artemis, with the female easily ducking under and grabbing the Atlanteans arm, shifting his weight to send him flying into Amy who had attempted to charge towards the veteran Team member as well.

As La'gann and Amy scrambled to their feet, Artemis spun swiftly to face Miguel and held up her hand to catch the Latino males fist in her palm. Fingers closing around the fist, Artemis offered a swift kick to Miguels ribs, followed by a forceful shove to his shoulder. The purple clad male fell down clumsily, just in time for La'gann to attempt another strike, this time a full on shoulder barge. Artemis side stepped him, ducking backwards as Amy, who was only a handful of steps behind La'gann, attempted to clothesline the blonde. With a smirk, Artemis twisted suddenly and caught Amy by her belt, pulling her backwards suddenly and throwing off the silver girls balance.

La'gann had recovered in this time and was upon Artemis once more. The two exchanged a brief but furious flurry of attacks and parries before Artemis leaped into the air suddenly, flipping backwards and catching La'gann with a solid kick to the chin. As Artemis landed, La'gann lay on the ground rubbing his chin. Amy and Miguel were back to their feet, but Artemis held up her hand in a halting motion.

"Not bad." She said, breathing out slowly before continuing. "With some practice, you'll be able to take on an opponent thats more skilled and powerful than you in no time."

"I thought that our training to face off against Superman level opponents was yesterdays curso." Miguel replied, walking over to La'gann and offering the Atlantean his hand. La'gann looked at it before scowling and standing up with his own power.

"That was just the crash course." Artemis explained, eyeing the interaction between the males. "You've gotta really work at getting those techniques embedded in your brain so they become reflex instead of just reaction."

"If we could use ours powers, we would have beaten you." Amy stated.

"Maybe." Artemis shrugged. "But we all know the whole point of this is to face down against people you can't just overpower."

"Aqualad to Zeta." A voice came over the speaker. "Please report to the War Room when you've finished your training session. I have a mission for you."

"You heard the man." Artemis said, waving the younger heroes towards the door. "Go shower and meet in the War Room in thirty."

* * *

**Vlatava.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1245 UTC.**

_B-07. Tigress._

_B-18. Lagoon Boy._

_B-27. Bunker._

_B-29. Bombshell._

The computerized voice announced the arrival of Zeta Squad, though it was drowned out by the much louder sound of shutters. A series of bright flashes also went off in succession, to cover up the light of the Zeta beams. The photo booth had been retrofitted into a transported by Ray Palmer a year prior under the direction of Secretary Tseng who believed Vlatava would require immediately League assistance at some point after tensions broke down between the sovereign country and the neighboring Markovia.

The four hustled out of the cramped space, glancing around. It was still early morning in the country, so they were afforded the courtesy of the side street being clear of people, and noise being kept to a minimum. Each of them were wearing civvies, though their 'hero' costumes were hidden beneath their clothes.

"Remind me to punch the person who decided I was going to be assigned to all of these covert missions." La'gann grumbled, raising his hand instinctively to push his hair out of his face. The illusion presented as the action taking place, it even felt real to him, but he knew better than to truly indulge the fantasy.

"I definitely agree with you there amigo." Miguel agreed, his expression faltering as La'gan purposefully put distance between them. "Couldn't you have just asked Queen Perdita if you could investigate? I thought she was a friend of the Team."

"Approaching Perdita could have potentially tripped off this 'Harvest' person. Epsilon would have been more suited if this were just an infiltration assignment, but given the possibility that it could turn into a search and rescue, this squad is definitely the better option." Artemis explained, noticing the tension between the two, letting out a soft sight. "Look, whatever is happening between you two, it's got to go on hold until we're not in a country where our presence as extensions of the League is illegal."

"Den einai douleia sou." La'gann muttered, his words flowing out in Atlantean.

"It's my business La'gann, because I'm the leader of this squad." Artemis snapped, earning a look of surprise from La'gann. "What, did you think I hung around with Kaldur, Garth and Tula for years and never picked anything up? Also, word of warning, Atlantean shares similarities with Ancient Greek, so don't talk shit around Diana or Donna."

"Noted." The sarcasm practically dripped off of La'ganns words as the group reached the end of the side street. "Where are we headed?"

"According to Ras' information, there should be a facility directly beneath the royal palace." Artemis replied, biting her lip. "It's just a matter of how we get in there without forcing Perdita into an awkward situation."

"Oi!" Somebody yelled, and the group turned to see two armed men jogging towards them.

"Great." Amy muttered, muscles tensing. "Do we...?"

"No. We can't afford to cause a scene." Artemis replied, raising her hands submissively, an action the other three mimicked.

"You're Americans." One of the armed men stated with a suspicious sneer. "How did you get into Vlatava?"

"We came in on the last flight yesterday." Artemis lied.

"There was no last flight. Vlatava's airports have been shut down." The other armed man spat, raising his weapon to point directly at Artemis. "How did you get into Vlatava?"

La'gann suddenly jumped forward, earning the attention of both armed men who immediately aimed and fired. The bullets impacted against his chest but did not pierce the Atlanteans skin, earning surprised expressions from the men. As the bullets hit the ground, La'gann reached one of the men and punched him solidly in the face, knocking him out instantly. The second tried to fire again, but was disarmed swiftly by Artemis before being similarly handled by Amy. Dropping the gun, Artemis crouched down to inspect one of the men and let out another sigh.

"These are men from the Vlatavian Crown Guard." She informed the group, reaching for the radio on the mans belt.

"So what you're saying is, we've caused a scene." Miguel said, shoulders dropping. "Just once, I'd like to have a simple mission."

"Nothings ever simple in the Surface World." La'gann growled, rubbing his chest where the bullets hit. "What now?"

"Well, despite the fact we've just potentially created an international incident, we now have a way to get into the palace." Artemis replied, glancing at La'gann. "Get dressed."

* * *

**Star City.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1300 UTC.**

"Definitely one of the best movies in the franchise." Tim announced, leading Roy and Virgil out of the theater, a bright smile on his face.

"I don't know about that." Virgil countered. "Nothing will ever really beat the originals."

"You're so wrong. This one added so much to the originals, while still being its own thing!" Tim shook his head, looking to Roy. "You agree with me, right?"

"Eh." Roy shrugged. "I'm not a nerd for this stuff like you two."

The other two boys shared a look of shock, something that Roy pretended to not notice, focusing his attention on the space in front of them as they exited the building. As they began to move down the street, Roy took his phone out as it vibrated, glancing at the screen before returning it to the hidden space. Tim, being the student of the worlds greatest detective, caught the look that crossed the archers face though.

"Whats up?" The Boy Wonder asked.

"Just an update on one of the criminals I've been looking into." Roy's cryptic response came.

"And who is this criminal?" Tim was never one to be deterred once he got interested in a topic.

"... Chien Na Wei. Goes by the code name China White." Roy caved in after mere seconds of Tim's version of the Bat stare. "She's the head of the Chinese Triad and has made her way back to Star City. The last time she was active here, the place was still called Starling."

"Have you told Oliver about this?" Virgil asked.

"He's too busy right now and I'm more than capable of taking her on." Roy stated, his body tensing slightly as irritation slipped into his tone.

"Well, you don't have to do it alone." Tim said. "What did the text say?"

"She's supposed to be meeting a rep from the cartel in an hour" Roy said, immediately shaking his head. "Uh uh. You're benched remember?"

"I'm benched from physical activity, not coordinating a team from the safety of one of your safe houses." Tim responded with a victorious grin as Roy's weak defenses crumbled. "Right then. Where are we headed?"

"The Glades." Roy muttered, holding out his arm to hail a taxi.

* * *

**Vlatava.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1330 UTC.**

Artemis and La'gann moved through the main doors of the Markovian palace, each of them wearing a uniform from the guards. Amy and Bunker awaited outside the gates, instructed to do their best to fit in and act as a last resort should things get too hectic for their two infiltrators. Artemis led the way, having visited the palace a handful of times, and also being the one who memorized the location of the supposed entrance to Harvests labs.

"We're coming up on the dining room." Artemis whispered. "According to Ras data, thats where the facility entrance will be located."

"How inconspicuous." La'gann snorted.

"Head down. Guards ahead." Artemis ordered, and the two immediately did so.

They passed the guards who merely offered them a nod of recognition before continuing on their way. The two Team members put a bit of energy into their steps and quickly entered the dining room, with La'gann closing the door behind them. The room was obscenely large and lavishly decorated, perfect for the likes of royals, though Perdita was the only remaining member of her line. Artemis looked around the room, spotting a large paining of Perdita's parents and began examining the frame.

"Should be right- ah." Artemis pressed down on a hidden pressure plate and a click was heard, before the painting slid two meters to the left, presenting an opening to the two vigilantes.

"Doesn't this feel too easy?" La'gann asked as they stepped into the darkened hidden hallway.

"A little, but I'd rather not question it and jinx us." Artemis said, pressing a hand to the communicator in her air. "We're entering what I assume is the facility. Be prepared to extract us at a moments notice. If we haven't responded in thirty minutes, go back to the Watchtower and tell them we've been compromised."

"En eso." Miguels voice came back.

As the painting slid back into place behind them, Artemis and La'gann progressed down the rather long hallway. They quickly came to the end, stepping into a well lit room. Well, laboratory was the better term. There was a sophisticated computer system on the far wall, while the right wall was occupied by four pods similar to those used by the Reach to contain their test subjects. The along the left wall meanwhile, were two medical tables with various instruments and pieces of tech ready for use. Artemis and La'gann exchanged a look, before Artemis moved towards the computer while La'gann examined the pods. All of the pods were empty, though it appeared that it was a recent development as each one was still labeled. There was also a set of doors directly to the left of the computer.

"Project Hydro. Project Ice Age. Project Karma. Project Portal." The Atlantean read out loud. "They were definitely working on some Meta-Humans down here. Anything on the computer?"

"Nothing yet." Artemis replied, fingers gliding over the keyboard. "Most of these files are hidden behind firewalls. I wish Robin or Batgirl were here. They'd probably be able to get in."

"Well well, what a surprise." A heavily accented voice said, before both La'gann and Artemis fell to their knees as overwhelming sensations on their head and stomach overwhelmed them. La'gann forced his gaze towards the source of the voice and tried to glare at Count Vertigo who was standing beside one of the doors next to the computer, earning only a smirk in response. "Agents of the Justice League I assume? I must say, I'm impressed they managed to discover the location of this facility."

"Vertigo." Artemis spat, her voice strained. "Should have known you'd be here."

"On the contrary, I'm not officially here at all." Vertigo responded, eyes narrowing slightly. The sensations increased in intensity, causing audible pain from both young heroes. "Since you're so interested in whats going on here, allow me give you an all access tour. Once' I've restrained you of course."

* * *

**Star City.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1400 UTC.**

"White is entering the building now." Tims voice came over the comns, the young vigilante having hacked the street cameras outside of the supposedly abandoned building in the glades.

"I have eyes, thanks." Arsenal growled, kneeling on a rooftop across the street.

"She doesn't have an escort." Static whispered.

"Trust me, she doesn't need one." The archer responded, holding out his right arm towards the roof of the building China White had entered.

The arm shot out a cable, swiftly drawing Arsenal across the open space and the street several stories below. Pulling himself up onto the rooftop as he reached it, the archer glanced at Static as the other hero landed beside him, putting his powers to use in creating his own bridge for the gap. Together, the two entered the roof access, dropping down several flights of stairs before exiting on the third floor at the advice of Tim.

"Go through the second door on the left. Once you're out on the walkway there, you'll be directly above them." The Boy Wonder instructed, clearly having pulled up the plans for the buildings structure, while also hacking into the cameras. "Careful though. There are a few guys inside, and they don't look like cartel guys."

Arsenal and Static complied with the instructions, heading out onto the walkway which overlooked a large store room. White stepped confidently up to several heavily armed men and began to talk about... something. Arsenal frowned, looking around.

"We need to get closer." He muttered, catching movement in his left periphery.

As he turned to see what it was, Arsenal was accosted by a fist that impacted against his cheek, sending him tumbling over the railing and free falling towards the concrete below. Static's reaction was even slower due to the lack of noise the attacker had made while approaching them, and the masked man grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie with one hand, pulling the young man forward into the open palm of his other hand. The blow caused Static's nose caused blood to flow and the sickening crack signified that it was broken by the impact, leaving the hero disoriented. The assailant didn't stop there however, balling his free hand into a fist to punch Static in the cheek. Then again. The third blow knocked the poor boy out and the assailant let the hero drop to the floor before looking over the railing.

Arsenal had more luck than his companion.

As he was sent over the railing and began to fall, he shot out his arm and fired a grappling hook. This slowed his fall considerably and he released it when he was confident he wasn't at a height that would do him injury. Dropping to the ground, he let himself fall forward and roll to absorb some of the impact, coming up to his feet to lunge straight into an attempt to punch White in the face. The female had ordered the other men not to shoot and easily redirected the punch, spinning to elbow Arsenal in the face. The archer raised his right hand to block her elbow, pulling a knife from his thigh holster and stabbing the blade towards Whites exposed midsection. With a chuckle, she grabbed his right arm and flipped backwards, avoiding the knife entirely and flipping Arsenal onto his back, the knife sliding away from him as she placed her boot on his throat.

"It's been a while Speedy." White greeted, applying more pressure to his throat to keep him from moving, her eyes examining his body and resting on his enhanced arm. "That's new. Coverage or replacement?"

"That guy took Virgil out in seconds." Tims voice whispered into Arsenals ear. "I've sent an alert out to all Star City heroes on the League frequency. Help is on the way."

"You're awfully quiet today." White continued, taking her foot off of his throat after drawing a gun, aiming the weapon at his chest.

Suddenly, the masked attacker entered Arsenals vision, shocking the young man. He hadn't even heard the guy descend from the walkway, but at the very least he should have known the assailant was attacking. Up close, the assailants entire body was covered in a black suit, including his face. He wore combat boots and gloves, as well as a hooded trench coat. On the mans covered face was a white pattern which was made up of two circles, similar to a bullseye. The tilted his head to the side, looking down at Roy and shaking his head.

"You don't want him?" White asked the man. "The arms just an enhancement. He still fits the bill for your type of target."

"Your friend and I both share similar dispositions." Arsenal spoke up, knowing that he had to keep the two there for when help arrived.

"There's nobody like him." White retorted, shifting the gun towards Arsenals head. "How did you catch on to me?"

"You're kidding right? The head of the Triad coming to Gotham is practically front page news for the criminal underworld." Arsenal chuckled.

Without a word, the masked man leaned down, picking Arsenal up by the collar and tossing him several meters across the room. The archer recovered in mid air, lain landing heavily and narrowing his eyes as the assailant began to casually walk towards him, as if un-phased by the effort he would have had to just exert. Pulling a compact crossbow from his belt with his left hand, Arsenal activated the weapons true form and quickly fired a series of bolts towards the man. As if without effort, the black clad attacker sidestepped the first, then moved in the opposite direction to avoid a second, simply leaning his shoulder backwards to allow the third to sail by. However, the mystery man caught the fourth bolt.

"Snap." The man said as he did the affiliated action, letting the remains of the bolt fall to the ground.

"Alright then." Arsenal said, tossing the crossbow aside with one hand and throwing several small explosives at the man with his right.

Rather than dodge the explosives, the man ran into them and seemed to be completely unaffected by the relatively small scale blasts. Arsenal frowned, raising his arm to block a swing towards his shoulder, snapping out with his foot towards the mans leg, which the assailant responded to by letting it impact. Again, he seemed to feel no pain, instead dropping suddenly to grab Arsenals extended leg and pull it forward, forcing the archer to fall towards him. As Arsenal tumbled forward, the masked man came up with a solid uppercut on the Heroes chin which knocked him upwards off the ground. A swift spin by the masked man was followed up with a momentum powered roundhouse that caught Arsenal in the ribs, ragdolling him to the side and forcing the younger male to crash into the ground hard.

Arsenal coughed as he forced himself back to his feet, spitting blood as he did. Glaring, he grabbed a grenade from a pouch on his hip and pulled the pin out. The man was walking towards him, barely three meters away, and Arsenal threw the explosive before raising his hands to defend himself from the blast. Again, the man didn't alter his course and instead walked right into the grenades path as it blew. Arsenal was thrown back but managed to retain his footing, smirking as he peered through the smoke caused by the grenade, but his eyes widened in shock as the figure emerged as if nothing could happen. Shrapnel was lodged into several places on the mans body and his coat had caught fire, with blood dripping from where the shrapnel was but he moved as casually as anything.

"You can't beat him. Retreat now and get Virgil. Help has arrived." Tim said as the wall to the room exploded suddenly.

Resisting the urge to continue fighting, Arsenal shot his grapple up towards the walkway as Wildcat, Green Arrow, Black Canary and a girl in an outfit with an eerily similar color palette to his own burst in. Focusing on Static, Arsenal vaulted over the railing and knelt to inspect his friend, who was still knocked out. Pulling the young man up to his feet, Arsenal carried Static out the door and headed for the stairwell, deciding to head back up to the roof and wait for the others to come and find him when they were done. As he moved, his body screamed in pain and the former coma patient grit his teeth in frustration. If the people that had come to bail him out didn't take care of the masked man, then Arsenal was going to take it upon himself to take him out.

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1423 UTC.**

_B-27. Bunker._

_B-29. Bombshell._

The aforementioned Heroes dashed out of the Zeta beams into the War Room, where Batgirl was examining a series of holographic screens. Her attention turned to the newcomers however, her expression shifting from a thoughtful one to a worried one in a split second.

"Tigress and Lagoon Boy?" She asked before the other two could speak.

"Compromised. We were ordered to come back here if that was the case." Bombshell informed the vigilante, who narrowed her eyes.

"Luckily, we were prepared for this." Batgirl replied as Bombshell and Bunker eyes eachother in confusion. She turned to the holographic screens and pressed a button. "Bioship, this is Batgirl. Half of Zeta Squad has been taken. We'll need you to recover them."

"Wait, we don't even get to rest first?" Beastboys voice came back over the comn, sounding extremely disappointed. "We JUST got back from Mars!"

"We're on it Batgirl." Miss Martian spoke up, cutting off any more of her adoptive brothers protests. "Which members of Zeta have been taken?"

"Tigress and Lagoon Boy." Batgirl replied.

There was a paused before Miss Martian replied.

"I see." She said. "Is there any indication that the missing members of Gamma are also in this facility?"

"There is a very high possibility that they are." Batgirl confirmed.

"We'll get them back." Superboy spoke up for the first time, his voice sounding determined but also tired.

"We're about to re-enter the atmosphere." Miss Martian informed them. "I'll cut communications until after we get Zeta, and hopefully Gamma, out of there. Bioship out."


	6. Flames

**Authors Note**

Finally back to this! Sorry for the wait everybody. Life is BUSY.

* * *

**Young Justice Metagene**

**3 x 6**

**Flames.**

* * *

**Vlatava. **

**January 8th, 2017. 1430 UTC.**

Artemis awoke with a start, brain snapping into action as the events prior to her fall into unconsciousness flashed in her mind. She quickly realized that she was restrained, wrists locked above her head and ankles secured below and that her identity was on display. . A quick scan of the room told her that La'gann was in a similar situation opposite her, struggling in a futile fashion against his restraints. The room itself was otherwise empty, aside from a metal table with several instruments that were obviously meant for torture. Taking a few slow breaths to calm herself, Artemis began to think of a way out of the situation.

"Neptunes beard!" La'gann cursed, realizing he couldn't break the restraints. "Why haven't we come up with a way to deal with Vertigo's ability? He's been around for years!"

"Honestly, I don't know." Artemis frowned. It was definitely an oversight.

"Argh!" La'gann growled, trying once more to break the restraints, and failing. "Coming in here without the others was a bad idea. You should have known better."

"Excuse me?" The female raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear you offering any suggestions."

"I'm not the squad leader." La'gann countered, earning a glare from Artemis.

"Just because you're in a shit mood all the time lately, that doesn't mean you get to take it out on everybody else, especially when things go wrong that are out of our control." She clamped her mouth shut as the door to the room opened ans Vertigo stepped in.

"Now now children, there is no need to fight." The smug noble stated, moving to stand between them.

"What do you want from us Vertigo?" Artemis demanded.

"From you, Artemis? Nothing." The man chuckled, turning his full attention to La'gann. "Unfortunately, you are merely a Human with no untapped Metagene. This Atlantean however, will prove quite useful for our research."

"I won't help you." La'gann snapped.

"Its adorable that you believe that you will have any choice in the matter." Vertigo smirked, studying the Atlantean. "Your mutation is rather interesting." Vertigo picked up an instrument off the table that resembled a scalpel but larger. Stepping closed to La'gann, the former Count pressed the scalpel's blade into the young Atlanteans shoulder, applying increasing pressure until the instrument itself snapped and left no mark on La'ganns skin. "Very interesting indeed. Atlantean's have stronger skin than Humans, but you seem to have mutated further to form a layer of natural armor around certain areas."

"Great observation, Surface scum." La'gann spat, causing a surprised expression to cross Artemis' face.

"Surface scum?" Vertigo repeated, tossing the broken instrument aside. "It seems that you've got some pent up aggression towards us."

Catching sight of the surprise from Artemis at his words, La'gann clamped his mouth shut and decided to sneer at the villain instead. The room was still and silent for several moments, before the Count chuckled.

"I'm sure that Harvest will have a lot of fun dissecting you." Vertigo stated, the door opening and several henchmen walking in. As the henchmen swarmed around the prisoners, the villain headed for the exit "Prepare the Atlantean for transport. Kill the girl."

* * *

**The Watchtower.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1445 UTC.**

_08\. Green Arrow._

_13\. Black Canary. _

_A-21. Wildcat._

_A-22. Speedy. _

_B-25. Arsenal._

_B-26. Static. _

Batgirl turned to address those entering through the Zeta beams, worry in her eyes as she took in the image of a severely injured Static being cradled in the strong arms of the second Wildcat. As she crossed the room to greet the group, Wildcat rushed off towards the med bay.

"What happened?" Batgirl asked, eyes shifting to Arsenal who appeared to also have taken some damage. "You should head to the med bay as well."

"I'm fine." The young male muttered.

"Roy and Virgil attempted to take down China White without telling anybody. Apparently, he's known about the Triads presence in Star City for a few days and chose not to tell anybody." Canary spoke up, answering Batgirls question. "Thanks to their impulsiveness, they weren't prepared for the appearance of a relatively new vigilante hunter. Unfortunately, we weren't able to apprehend him or White."

"You're talking about Onomatopoeia, right?" Batgirl asked, sighing as the leader of the League nodded. "I didn't think he was in the states. Three days ago, he almost killed Knight in London. A week before that, Nightrunner was hospitalized after an encounter with him in Paris. They're lucky that there were other heroes patrolling those cities at the time."

"Wait, you all knew somebody like that was active and didn't tell us about it!?" Arsenal exclaimed, anger prevalent in his voice.

"Batman was supposed to be taking care of it." Green Arrow replied to his former protege.

"Unfortunately, the business with Gamma Squad has taken precedence." Canary added. "But we can't ignore this opportunity to neutralize this guy."

Neutralize him?" A sharp bark of cold laughter came from Arsenal, drawing every bodies attention. "I tried to kill him and everything I threw at that freak didn't even phase him."

"Kill him?" Green Arrow said, sighing heavily. "Roy..."

"You seen what he did to Virgil!" The young vigilante defended himself, voice rising further. "I didn't even hear him sneaking up on us! We need to put this freak down before he kills somebody!"

"We don't kill Roy, you know that." Canary stated firmly.

"You should reconsider that." Roy snapped, before storming out of the War room towards the showers.

"Is there something in the water lately?" Green Arrowchuckled, trying to add some levity to the situation. "First La'gann develops a hostile attitude, and now Roy's flares back up."

"We've been too focused on the Light." Canary shook her head. "We should have noticed something was wrong. I'll schedule some sessions with them."

"To be fair, Roy's anger is warranted. When we absorbed the Team directly into the League, we promised there would be no more secrets between us." Batgirl paused. "Even though Roy has just come back from a hiatus, the information should have been readily available to him. If it was, he may have been more cautious. Were Roy and Virgil acting alone?"

"Tim sent us the SOS, so I assume he was directing them." Green Arrow said, before finally giving his new protegee some attention. "Sorry we had to cut off our patrol to deal with that."

"It's fine." The female shrugged. Her outfit was eerily similar to Roy's during his time as Speedy, but instead of a cap, she had a hood sewn onto her tunic which was drawn up over her head. "I wouldn't have gotten to see the Watchtower otherwise."

"True." Green Arrow smiled. "We should be getting back to Star City. Maybe we can track down China?"

The two arches offered their farewells before walking into the Zeta Beams. As their names were announces and they disappeared, Canary stepped into the center of the room, summoning the holographic screens. A few seconds later, she hailed Tim on his own personal frequency, a call the young man answered almost immediately.

"You knew about Onomatopoeia." Canary's voice was stern. "Why would you think letting Roy and Virgil enter a situation like that was acceptable?"

"I had no way of knowing he'd be there." Tim defended himself, his eyes shifting away from the camera for a moment. "Besides, if we didn't draw him out, we wouldn't be able to catch him."

"What are you saying?" Batgirl moved to stand next to Canary, arms folded.

"I'm saying that I know where Onomatopoeia went." The young man flashed a bright smile. "Is there a squad available to handle his capture?"

"I'm not putting the kids in any more danger today." Canary's expression hardened in resolve. "Send through his co-ordinates. I'll handle this."

"She means we'll handle this." Batgirl put a hand on Canary's shoulder, earning an appreciative look from the senior crime fighter.

"He moved east, towards the docks." Tim said.

"Lets go give him a welcoming party he'll never forget." Canary smirked and the two females turned as one towards the Zeta Beams.

* * *

**Vlatava.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1445 UTC.**

Miss Martian phased through a wall in the palace of Vlatva, glancing around the empty room. Seeing that she was alone, the Martian allowed herself to become fully visible as she materialized.

"Status update?" She said through the telepathic link.

"According to the Bioship's scanners, there is an unusually high concentration of power coming from four stories below the palace." Superboy replied, before sighing. "I could do a lot more if I was on the ground."

"We've been over this." Miss M's thoughts came out far more snappish than she'd intended, so she tried softening her tone as she continued. "If something happens to us, we'll need you to get us out. You're more effective with the element of surprise on your side."

"Guys." Beastboy interrupted. "I caught Artemis' scent. It ends in the dining room."

"I'm on my way." Miss M replied, using her telepathy to pinpoint her adoptive brothers location. "Stay hidden."

"I know, I know." Beastboy grumbled.

Miss M made her way to Beastboy's location as quickly as possible. Phasing through walls, keeping herself incognito and isolating Beastboy's presence was quite taxing on her mind, but she pushed through the building headache, intensely focused on the mission. Not only were members of the Team at risk, but they were members she had a strong emotional connection to. Failing at the mission was unacceptable.

As she finally phased into the dining room, she found Beastboy in cat form, curled up on one of the chairs. Raising an eyebrow at the teenager, she waited for him to morph back into his default form with folded arms.

"What?" Beastboy said as he finished shifting back into his favored human/monkey hybrid. "Nobodies gunna think a cat is suspicious."

"A green cat?" Miss M couldn't help but smile.

"I'd get excited if I found any kind of cat in my house." Beastboy shrugged, leading the martian to stand before a painting. "Their trail leads to this, but I can't figure out how to get past."

Miss M raised a hand towards the painting, closing her eyes as she gently used her telekinesis to systematically probe the painting for any switches or pressure points. It didn't take long before she found one and applied pressure, causing the painting to open. Sharing a look with Beastboy, she entered the space behind the painting and quickly made her way down the hallway behind it with the young Team member in tow. The painting shut behind them, but they quickly came out into an eerie laboratory. Beastboy shifted back into his dog form, sniffing the air and then barking excitedly.

Miss M followed Dogboy through one of the pair of doors at the back of the room and down yet another featureless hallway. The hall ended with an elevator and the two entered it, pressing a button labeled 'Facility IV'. The ride was short due to the high speed of the mechanism, and they stepped back out into a hallway far wider than the last. There were several doors on either side and Dogboy led Miss M past many of them before stopping outside one to their left.

"She's in here!" Beastboy exclaimed, pushing the door open.

The scene that awaited them caused a significantly negative reaction from Miss M. Artemis was restrained to a bench, with three faceless goons standing over her as one prepared to inject a needle into the heroes neck. With a flick of her wrist and a little telepathy, Miss M forced the goon holding the syringe to inject himself instead and he went down almost immediately. Raising her other hand, she wrested the second goon from the ground and slammed him harshly into the low hanging roof, before repeating the process twice more and dropping the unconscious figure to the ground heavily. Beastboy had taken care of the third one, taking the form of a Gorilla and tackling the goon with enough force to sent him hurtling into the wall.

"Artemis?" Miss M was at her friends side, worriedly checking the blonde over.

"Oh, hey." Artemis moaned, her voice sounding weak. "I was wondering when somebody was going to show up."

"Where's Lagoon Boy?" Beastboy asked.

"Th-they took him." Artemis sighed as Miss M released her from the restraints. Dropping to the ground, the blonde steadied herself before continuing. "It's been about fifteen minutes."

"Stay with Artemis." Miss M ordered Beastboy, flying out of the room at top speed.

During their relationship, Miss M and Lagoon Boy had formed a stronger mind link than the usual one she shared with her friends. While it wasn't as strong as the one she shared with Superboy, Miss M hoped it would be enough. She reached out for the link, and found it within seconds, dashing away from the room where her teammates were. Concern filled the martian as she sped down several near identical hallways, the link being far weaker than she remembered it being. Within minutes, she burst into another room to find it was an underground station. There were numerous goons scattered throughout the space, while two were directing a pod carrying Lagoon boy towards a train.

The first thing Miss M did was send the two escorts hurtling in opposite directions. Their surprised cries drew the attentions of the rest of the goons, but Miss M was not in the mood to hold back. Over the next few minutes, goons were tossed across the room, slammed into various surfaces and otherwise manhandled by the martians superior telekinesis. None even had the opportunity to properly arm themselves. Once she had whittled the conscious goons down to a single man, Miss M drifted down and let herself touch the ground, walking slowly towards the man, who was scrambling for his gun.

"S-Stay back!" The goon finally grasped his weapon and aimed it at her, only to have it torn from his grasp and discarded. "Don't hurt me!"

"Where was Lagoon Boy being transported?" Miss M asked, using her telekinesis to lift the man from the ground and suspend him in the air before her.

"I-I'm not telling you. He'll kill me!" The man cried.

"Wrong answer." Miss M stated darkly, her eyes glowing.

Breaking into the goons mind was like cracking an egg, almost no resistance. In reality, the man now hung limp in the air with his eyes rolled back into his head, but his mind was being assaulted with images and memories. Miss M sifted through them as quickly as possible, looking for what she wanted and found it. Count Vertigo had ordered Lagoon Boy to be transported to Facility X in Markovia, then shipped off to Facility XIII in London. The martians eyes stopped glowing as she released her hold on the goons mind, the man now foaming at the mouth. Miss M felt no sympathy for him as she tossed the mentally fractured human aside, rationalizing her actions by recalling a memory in his mind of having transported people to other facilities before.

Stepping over the goon, Miss M tore the door off of the pod and gently removed Lagoon Boy from his restraints, before floating him gently down to the ground. Kneeling before the Atlantean, she reached out to his mind, but far more gently than she had with the goon. Satisfied with Lagoon Boys mental activity, she reached out for Beastboy.

"Did you find him?" Beastboy asked.

"Yes." Miss M replied, gently laying her hand on Lagoon Boys forehead. "Go to the rendezvous point. We'll be right behind you."

* * *

**Star City.**

**January 8th, 2017. 1530 UTC.**

When Black Canary and Batgirl arrive at their destination, they didn't waste any time in subduing the Triad henchmen that were occupying the warehouse Tim had pointed them to. Together, the two vigilantes easily cleared out the building of the rank and file thugs. The two of them had some experience working together from the time before Batgirl had joined the Team, so their movements were fluid and in sync. Once the final henchman was dropped to the ground, the two examined the open space.

"He isn't here R." Batgirl said into her comn.

"According to thermal imaging, there's definitely another active signature in that area." Tim replied. "Have you checked the roof?"

Batgirl used her grappling gun to access the rooftop via the open sunroof high above, while Canary raced up the stairs. As Batgirl exited the building into the warm afternoon sun, she had to contort her body to avoid an attempted clothesline from Onomatopoeia. Recovering midair, Batgirl landed softly on her feet, batting away a punch from the criminal. Centering herself, the vigilante managed to keep pace with Onomatopoeia for about thirty seconds before he started to overwhelm her. The mans clothing was torn up and blood stained, and Batgirl could see the open wounds flaring as they fought, but it seemed to be having no effect on her opponent.

A strong elbow to Batgirls jaw had her reeling, and the follow-up uppercut separated her feet from the ground. She sailed across the rooftop, landing heavily on her shoulder with a cry of pain as it dislocated. She forced herself back up to her feet, finding that Onomatopoeia's attention had been taken away from her by Canary, who had arrived just in the nick of time. Batgirl watched Canary engage the criminal, eyes widening sightly in awe. It was no secret that Canary was one of the greatest hand to hand combatants in the world, easily top five in the League and she was putting her skills on display clearly.

While Batgirl had only managed to briefly dance with Onomatopoeia, Canary was putting on an impressive show. Neither combatant seemed to be struggling, but neither was gaining any ground. Canary appeared to have noticed this, ducking under one of the mans punches to get in close. Roughly grasping the mans head in her hands, Canary unleashed a glass shattering cry at point blank range. Unlike the physical wounds that didnt affect Onomatopoeia, the sonic assault caused the man to yell in pain, slamming his fist into Canary's midsection with enough force to silence her. He shoved her away, before making a mad dash for the side of the rooftop.

"Stop him!" Canary cried.

Batgirl pulled her grappling gun from her belt with her good arm, aiming at the mans knees to knock him off balance. However, she needn't have bothered. Before the hook even got within range, a dark portal opened and swallowed up the killer, closing immediately thereafter. Both females eyed the area where Onomatopoeia had just been in annoyance, before Canary made her way over to Batgirl.

"Hold still." Canary commanded, before popping the younger vigilantes shoulder back into place.

"Thanks." Batgirl winced. Definitely not the most comfortable of things.

"R, he got away." Canary sighed. "Based on the reports that Troia, Red Arrow and Superman gave us regarding dark portals, it seems like Onomatopoeia is also working with Deathstroke."

"That's concerning." Tim replied. "I'll run a check on known Meta-Humans with the ability to create portals."

"I already did." Batgirl said. "According to our records, this Meta is a new player."

* * *

**The Watchtower. **

**January 8th, 2017. 1735 UTC. **

La'gann opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the bright lights. Once he'd adjusted to the luminescence, he realized that he was back on the Watchtower in the medbay. A survey of his body showed that he was hooked up to a drip, but nothing else which was certainly a relief. The curtain was drawn in the center of the room, meaning that somebody else was also undergoing treatment. La'gann wondered who it was. Closing his eyes, La'gann tried to recall the last thing he remembered, frowning. Everything was hazy.

"Your memories should come back soon." M'gann said as she entered the room.

La'gann's eyes snapped back open and he studied the Martian. He wasn't sure whether he should be happy to see that she was back safely from her mission to Mars, or angry that she'd clearly linked their minds while he was out, as she knew what he'd been worried about. M'gann stopped short, the two of them locking gazes briefly. Now that he was aware of it, La'gann quickly isolated the sensation of M'ganns presence in his mind as she pressed further and dismissed her forcefully, his sorcery marks briefly lighting up as he did. A clear expression of shock and worry briefly crossed M'gann's face, but it was replaced with a bright smile. La'gann didn't give her the chance to speak first, not wanting to give her the chance to question him about whatever she'd seen.

"Don't link our minds without my permission again."

"I thought it was the best thing to do, considering the situation." M'gann replied, moving to sit on a stool beside the bed La'gann was lying on.

"Well, now you know not to." La'gann narrowed his eyes slowly. He'd decided that he was definitely angry. "Wheres Artemis?"

"She's fine. Her debrief with Canary was about an hour ago. I think she went back to Palo Alto." M'gann said.

"What about Gamma?"

"We couldn't find them." M'gann stated, her eyes dipping slightly. "When I rescued you, they were going to load you on an underground train bound for Markovia. From there, they planned to ship you to a facility in London. The League is quietly securing the co-operation of Queen Perdita so that we can properly investigate the underground tunnels and Vlatavan facility."

"And Markovia and London?" La'gann asked.

"The League has no jurisdiction in Markovia, and to launch an investigation in London, we need the explicit permission of the United Nations." M'gann explained.

"Neptunes beard." La'gann growled, before gesturing to the door. "You can go now."

There was a brief silence. La'gann could see the pain on M'gann's face from his dismissal, but he honestly didn't care. Despite the fact that he'd been relatively cordial with her about how their relationship ended, he'd recently come to understand just how poorly she'd treated him. The rejection he'd felt flared back up within him, mixing with his other frustrations. When M'gann didn't move, La'gann felt his anger flaring up to the surface.

"I said leave."

"La'gann..." M'gann paused, looking for the right words to say. "Barbara and Dinah told me you've been acting out recently. They're worried about you."

"Poseidon's ass! This again?" La'gann sat up abruptly, earning a sharp headache for his troubles. "Is there some reason that I can't be angry?"

"You don't have to be. People are here that you can talk to, including me." M'gann flinched as La'gann scoffed at her words, but she persevered. "What I seen in your mind just now-"

"Why would I want to talk to YOU of all people?" The anger in La'ganns chest roared as he sneered at the Martian, redirecting the conversation. "You strung me along for over a year, just to get at Conner, then dropped me when I wasn't any use to you anymore."

"Thats not-" M'gann began, but was cut off as La'gan interrupted.

"I'm used to being ostracized M'gann, but I never thought that you-" La'gann's voice cracked, his anger giving way to bottled up dejection. "-would ever hurt me. I thought that we had something, but you were just using me to fill in for the absence of somebody else."

"I can help you" M'gann tried, and La'gann could feel her mental presence prodding at his defenses.

"I told you not to do that!" La'gann roared, flying off the bed and tearing the needle out of his arm from the drip in the process. M'gann jumped to her feet, raising her hand towards him, her eyes beginning to glow. Seeing this, La'gann froze. "I wasn't going to..." La'gann felt his anger fade away as quickly as it had flared up, leaving him with only with regret for his actions, mixed with the misery that he'd been keeping contained for months. He let out a shaky breath before speaking again. "I wouldn't attack you."

"I.. I know. It's just been a long day." M'ganns eyes stopped glowing, and she lowered her hand. "I'm sorry. It's hard for me not to reach out to link our minds, when I was connected to you for such a lengthy period of time. Especially when you're like this."

"Back then, I had nothing to hide from you." La'gann whispered, refusing to meet M'ganns gaze.

"La'gann, let me help you." M'gann closed the distance between them, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I've helped people deal with their demons before. I can help you too."

La'gann considered her offer. It was definitely tempting, considering how he felt keeping things from people. Dealing with an issue alone was the hardest thing to do, as the only person the issue could harm was the person experiencing the pain. After a few moments, he shook his head silently. If he let everything out in the open, the League wouldn't understand, and the Team would judge him. It was better to just carry on as he was. He couldn't afford to let himself be ejected from another home.

"I'm fine." La'ganns voice was hollow, and the lie was obvious. "I'm just tired."

"La'gann-"

"Go. I need to rest." La'gann climbed back onto the bed, starting to feel the discomfort from the wound he'd created when the needle had been torn out of his body.

"At least let me patch that up."

"Just go." La'gann rolled over, presenting M'gann with his back.

After about a minute, M'gann finally left the room. Once the door was securely shut, La'gann finally let the emotions overwhelm him, quietly crying himself into a fitful sleep.

**The Batcave.**

**January 8th, 2017. 2245 UTC.**

Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom and of course, Batman, were all seated at a large table. The emergency meeting of the current core seven had been called earlier in the day following Canary's failed attempt to capture Onomatopoeia and the reports from Miss Martian about the mysterious facilities beneath Vlatava, Markovia and London. As the most media friendly members of the League, they'd had to wait until night fell in order to finally meet, which definitely fit the aesthetic of their chosen meeting place.

"As you all know, two days ago Gamma Squad were taken by Deathstroke and an unknown entity. Since then, we've learned that these two are in collaboration with a second clone of Superman designated as Project Match, the vigilante killer known only as Onomatopoeia and an unidentified Meta-Human." Batman said, taking charge of the meeting. Though she was the designated leader of the League, Canary let him assert his control. Batman had been working all day on the case. "Thanks to Ras Al Ghuls information, and Miss Martians intell, we can say with certainty that Deathstrokes team is working for the organization known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E under the direction of a man called Harvest. N.O.W.H.E.R.E has at least thirteen facilities, located throughout Europe and presumably the United States. We also know that Count Vertigo is also working with N.O.W.H.E.R.E, but not the extent of his allegiance. "

"We don't know for sure why Gamma was taken by Deathstroke, but we do know that the squad in captivity consists of two powerful Meta-Humans, and a young man who is bonded to a Reach superweapon. Based on the fact that Project Match is a part of Deathstrokes team, it is possible that N.O.W.H.E.R.E is the successor of C.A.D.M.U.S." Black Canary added. "If that is true, the logical conclusion is that Gamma were taken to replicate the cloning process on Wondergirl and Impulse. As for Blue Beetle, there is a possibility that N.O.W.H.E.R.E has access to Reach technology and plans to remove the Beetle from Jamie."

"Wouldn't that process kill him?" Captain Atom asked.

"Yes." Batman nodded. "Which means we're working on a strict timeline."

"Earlier today, we secured the permission of Queen Perdita to investigate the facility beneath Vlatava. The Queen has been moved to a safehouse until we can bring Count Vertigo in. Catherine Cobert will appeal to the United Nations tomorrow morning for an allowance to be made so that we can work to locate the facility in London." Canary said.

"What about the Markovian facility?" Flash asked.

"That will be more difficult." Batman frowned. "King Viktor has made it clear that he doesn't trust the Justice League, and his neutrality means that the United Nations cannot put any pressure on him to allow for us to enter the country."

"Surely we could ask Queen Perdita to intercede on our behalf?" Wonder Woman suggested. "If I recall correctly, Markova shares a border with Vlatava."

"With Count Vertigo unaccounted for, it's too dangerous to ask the Queen to leave the security of her safehouse." Batman paused. "There is another option."

"You can't be considering-" Superman shook his head. "We're not asking Luthor for help."

"He has the political connections, and since he resigned from the position of Secretary General, he could carry out the negotiations under the jurisdiction of the United States, rather than the United Nations." Black Canary tapped her finger on the table thoughtfully.

"He would obviously use it as an opportunity to strengthen his campaign. Markovia is notorious for it's closed borders when it comes to the rest of the world. If Luthor managed to successfully negotiate with them, it would give him considerable political clout." Wonder Woman's frown deepened. "It's risky, but if anybody could convince Markovia to work with us, it would be Lex."

"He'll never go for it." Superman crossed his arms defiantly.

"I agree with big boy blue." Flash added. "Lex just denounced us to the world as the platform for his presidential campaign."

"Luthor is a practical man." Batman said. "This is as much a favor to us, as it is an opportunity for him. I'll have Bruce Wayne pay him a visit tomorrow to discuss this."

"It's a mistake." Superman shook his head. "He's probably working with Harvest!"

"It's possible." Canary admitted. "But the past has shown that Luthor rarely works well with others. It's not uncommon for him to undermine his allies."

"What about the Team?" Green Lantern said, changing the subject. "None of this is going to matter if the members keep getting captured or taken out of commission."

"Kaldur has assured me that their training is progressing well." Wonder Woman said, before continuing. "I suggest we have Virgil take some time off the Team to properly heal. He is far too young and inexperienced to be out in the field, regardless of the training."

"We should also address the elephant in the room." Flash said. "Something needs to be done about La'gann. His temper has become a problem, and I'm worried that it's going to affect the others in the field."

"I spoke to him briefly." Wonder Woman replied. "It appears that the political movement in Atlantis has actually been plaguing Atlantis for longer than Orin let on. According to La'gann, the people are on the brink of all out rebellion and Orin has so far been unable to contain it. He also told me that the group responsible are comprised solely of Atlantean Purists who have infiltrated all levels of the population. La'gann doesn't feel safe in his own home."

"Why wouldn't Orin tell us about this?" Superman demanded, anger clear on his face.

"Don't be foolish." Batman rolled his eyes. "There's nothing we can do. Atlantis as just as much it's own entity as Markovia. We can't just go sailing in, all guns blazing to enforce peace. It would be seen as an act of war from the Surface World."

"In regards to La'gann, M'gann mentioned to me that she briefly linked minds with him once he regained consciousness." Martian Manhunted spoke up, for the first time since the meeting had begun. "I will not detail what she glimpsed in his mind in that handful of moments out of respect for his privacy, but what M'gann shared with me is cause for immediate concern. He has not dealt with events that have occurred within the past few months and forced his emotions down rather than confronting them. The pressure is at a breaking point, and it is corroding him from the inside."

"I'll speak with him again." Wonder Woman said.

"With respect, I do not believe that is the correct course of action." Manhunter cautioned. "During his conversation with M'gann, La'gann expressed clear frustration at being approached directly about his situation. In my experience, somebody in La'ganns situation doesn't want to be constantly prodded about their struggle. He will speak about it in time, but for now he requires support in a passive form."

"Lets give Zeta a few days off and send the kids on a retreat of sorts." Green Lantern suggested. "Miguel and Amy are La'ganns friends, and he's always gotten along with Artemis. Maybe if he's put in a scenario where the Team and Atlantis' problems aren't at the forefront of his mind, La'gann will open up to them?"

"Good idea." Canary nodded. "I'll sort out the details tonight."

"We'll reconvene in 48 hours. By then, we should be able to put things in motion regarding N.O.W.H.E.R.E" Batman said, standing up. "If there's nothing else, I have other things to do."

* * *

**Infinity Island.**

**January 9th, 2017. 0238 UTC.**

Lady Shiva stepped backwards, raising her sword to block her opponents own blade. While he was several decades her junior, the young man had proven himself to be a quick study of the League of Shadows ways and was already a competent opponent. The two moved across the training mats, exchanging furious blows and parries with reaction speeds that far outmatched the average person. Shiva's own style was like a simplistic ballet, agile but precise. She did not waste any energy on superfluous movements, remaining light on her feet. A defensive style, but she was like a predator. She waited for the correct moment to strike. Her student's style however, was only offensive and relied on superfluous movements. He was thinking two steps ahead, every strike followed up by another attack. Each time he dodged, he would always immediately force himself back on the attack. For many, it would be totally overwhelming.

"Disarm." Shiva commanded, tossing her own sword aside.

The young man did as commanded, throwing his katana to his left and attempting a roundhouse kick with his right leg in the same movement. Shiva leaned backwards to avoid the strike, smiling at the fluidity with which he changed his fighting style. Again, the two moved around the training room, exchanging blows for some time. When Shiva finally forced the young man to the mat, threatening to break both the wrist and ulna, she could feel his pulse racing. The fabric of his sleeve was damp, displaying that he was also sweating profusely. Yet, he hadn't shown outward signs of exhaustion. He'd just continued fighting.

"Rise." Shiva ordered, releasing the young mans arm.

He complied, once more appearing to be the picture of serenity and not a completely shattered human who'd just engaged in near superhuman combat. His tunic and mask hid all features from her view, but Shiva knew that his expression would be completely neutral, eyes slightly glazed over, mouth formed in a straight line. Yet she wished to see it anyway.

"Your face." Shiva prodded.

The young man immediately pulled down his hood, revealing his white hair. As he reached up to un-clip the straps that held his crimson mask in place, Shiva recalled her first meeting with her student. He hadn't spoken a word, nor had he even been able to raise his gaze to meet her own. His posture had been shoddy, and it was clear that the young man was on alert. Now he stood tall, and as the mask fell away, his pale green eyes met her own black ones. His skin was almost as pale as his hair, though it was flawless and unblemished. As expected, he showed no emotion and merely awaited her next command.

"You have improved greatly since our last bout." Shiva said. "Soon, you will be ready to begin field work."

"Thank you." The young man said, voice as hollow as his gaze.

"Go and shower, then retire to your quarters. Meditate for fourth minutes, then rest." Shiva said. When the young man didn't immediately follow her orders, she raised a single eyebrow. "You wish to speak?"

"Yes mistress."

"Very well." Shiva nodded.

"Familiar." He said, and Shiva waited patiently for him to elaborate. "Man in shape of devil."

"You're referring to Batman?" Interest flashed in Shiva's eyes. This was certainly an unexpected, but welcome development. "How is he familiar to you?"

"Familiar." The young man repeated, nodding slowly. His eyes narrowed slightly in concentration, and his jaw clenched suddenly, as if he was struggling to get the words out. "Wayne..."

Shivas eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She recovered herself quickly, a broad smile spreading across her face. The young man seemed to be at odds with himself, his hands now balled into fists and his shoulders stiff.

"Flames." This time his words came out through gritted teeth, the first real show of emotion Shiva had seen from the boy in almost a year. It was as if he was in pain. The young mans eyes suddenly lit up with anger, and he glared at Shiva. "Wayne... traitor."

"Indeed." Shiva smirked, holding out her hand for the young man to take. "Come. The Demons Head will want to know about this."


End file.
